The articles at the bottom of this page, written by practising criminal lawyers, describe maximum penalties, what must be proven, which court will hear your case, and more for a variety of offences.
You should not participate in a formal or informal interview with police without seeking legal advice first. Doing so could greatly compromise your interests, and possibly result in a higher penalty than if you did not say anything. You should tell the police your name, address and date of birth. Then, politely advise them you would like to speak to a criminal lawyer and give our office a call (on the 24 hour line if it is after hours).
The penalty imposed by a court will depend upon a variety of factors. These include the offence you have been charged with, the maximum penalty for that offence, the scale of your offending, your personal circumstances, the circumstances of the complainant, whether you plead guilty or elected to go to trial, the timeliness of your guilty plea and other factors. You can review our pages on specific offences below to read the maximum penalties applicable.
Even if you intend to plead guilty to the offence and do not wish to defend the charges, you should still seek legal advice. We regularly appear in all court jurisdictions and advocate for the lowest possible penalty on behalf of our clients, submitting all relevant mitigating factors. While it is ultimately up to the magistrate or judge to decide on a penalty, our lawyers are experts in negotiating with the prosecution and making submissions to the court.
Click below to view outcomes we have obtained for our clients charged with dishonesty offences.