If the police arrest you on charges of domestic violence, you must act quickly. Do not think it will blow over or that the alleged victim will tell the police it has all been a big mistake.
Once a charge is filed, only the prosecution or court can put it to bed. Genuine victims sometimes try to retract what they said because they feel bad or do not want to see their partner get into trouble. Yet this does nothing to solve situations where violence did occur. Hence the law does not give alleged victims the power to have the charges dropped.
That does not mean you will be convicted, though
You always have a chance to seek an acquittal when charged with a crime. Here are some that may succeed in a domestic violence case:
- Self-defense: If the alleged victim has fresh injuries, you need to explain how they got them. Typically if claiming self-defense, you would need to show that any force you used to protect yourself from them was proportional to the threat.
- Wrong person: Just because you were in the house when someone got injured does not mean you hurt them. Someone else could have been there, but perhaps the victim decides to blame you, instead, in order to protect the other party.
- There was no violence: As much as it sounds like a poor excuse, they may actually have fallen down the stairs by themselves or walked into a door.
Getting urgent legal help will be crucial to protect your rights, prevent your situation from worsening and look at defense options.