Armed robbery is a serious criminal accusation. If you are facing such charges, it is imperative that you understand your legal rights. A conviction will likely make it difficult to find employment or housing, so if you want to restore your life to normalcy, you should fight the charges. An attorney can help you understand the legal system and partner with you to defend your case.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are more than 350,000 robberies in a given year, but your case does not have to be a statistic. A strong defense is imperative. The following are some of the factors that may be impactful in presenting yours.
Innocence
False accusations happen every day. Mistaken identity, police error and many other factors lead to wrongful arrests and charges against innocent people. Needless to say, if you are simply innocent of armed robbery, you deserve the courts to find you such. Clearing your name is important in such a case, and you should fight against the legal implications and life consequences that a false charge threatens.
Intoxication
If you were involved in an armed robbery as the charges suppose but were intoxicated at the time, there are several considerations that the prosecution must take into account. If the intoxication was involuntary — which is to say it was out of your control — this can be an effective challenge to the accusations. It should be noted that voluntary intoxication is not considered a viable defense in Illinois.
Entrapment
Crimes that someone commits due to threat or duress are, of course, treated differently than those committed of one’s own volition. If your armed robbery charges stem from an incident that involved entrapment, your defense should illuminate this fact. For this to be true, you must have had no prior intent to commit the robbery prior to the intervention of your entrapper.