Calgary · Assaults and Threats
Assaults and Threats Lawyer
What are Crimes of Violence
Simple assault is perhaps the most common charge laid in our criminal justice system. However, you may be charged with other violence-based offences, ranging from uttering threats to murder. If you have been charged with a crime of violence, you may be facing some of the most severe penalties possible in the Criminal Code.
At Muenz Criminal Law, our team of Calgary criminal defence lawyers will diligently investigate the charges against you, develop your case, defend your position, and pursue your preferred outcome.
What you’re facing
If you’ve been charged with:
- Assault or aggravated assault
- Uttering threats
- Causing bodily harm
- Using a weapon
- Kidnapping or abduction
- Criminal harassment
- Manslaughter
- First or second degree murder
Contact Muenz Criminal Law
Our Calgary criminal defence lawyers represent clients charged with violent crimes in Calgary and nearby regions.
How we defend it
Protecting You from The Most Serious Consequences
There are a number of defences we can use.
Two of the more common ones are:
Self-Defense:
Consent:
In general, any charge will be treated more seriously by the court if:
- There were weapons involved
- There was bodily harm
- The alleged victim was vulnerable in some way (for example, a minor)
Minimizing The Damage
Sometimes our clients come to us with a situation where there is no reasonable chance of attaining an acquittal – for example, a situation where security cameras caught the entire exchange.
In those cases, our aim is to minimize the consequences you face, by working with the Crown prosecutor to reduce the charges or to get treatment. We can get you into anger management, counselling and other alternative methods to deal with the charge. We can also pursue a peace bond in which you agree to certain conditions in exchange for keeping the incident off your record.
Frequently asked
Questions we hear most.
Sometimes. Depending on the seriousness of the allegation, the strength of the evidence, the accused’s record and the complainant’s position, possible outcomes may include withdrawal, diversion, a peace bond or a discharge.
Counselling, anger-management programming or other proactive steps may assist, but they do not guarantee a particular result. The evidence and consequences should be reviewed before deciding whether to negotiate a resolution or proceed to trial.
A threat may be spoken, written, sent electronically or communicated through another person. The offence includes knowingly conveying a threat to cause death or bodily harm, damage property, or kill or injure an animal belonging to someone.
The words must be considered in their full context. An angry or poorly chosen statement is not automatically a criminal threat; the Crown must prove that the words were intended to be taken seriously rather than as a joke or harmless exaggeration.
Self-defence may apply where a person reasonably believed that force or a threat of force was being used against them or someone else, acted for the purpose of protection, and responded reasonably in the circumstances.
The court will consider the entire incident, including who initiated it, whether a weapon was involved, the seriousness of the threat and whether the response was proportionate. Witnesses, video recordings, injuries and communications before or after the incident may all be important
Yes. An assault does not require an injury. Intentionally applying force without consent may be enough, even if the contact is relatively minor and leaves no mark.
An assault can also occur without physical contact where a person attempts or threatens, through an act or gesture, to apply force and appears capable of carrying it out.
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