The Massachusetts rape trial of former Coast Guard officer David Pierce is set to begin this week. Pierce is accused of raping the same woman five times in 2005.
Pierce’s criminal defense attorney claims that the sex between the client and the woman was consensual and that the two of them were involved in some sort of relationship that year. Pierce was indicted on five counts of rape in January 2006. He pleaded not guilty.
Several Coast Guard officers are expected to testify during his criminal trial. The alleged victim, Cape Cod Hospital nurses, and Yarmouth police officers are also expected to give their testimonies.
If he is convicted, Pierce would become a known Massachusetts sex offender and likely sentenced to time in state prison.
Rape
If you have been accused of committing rape in Massachusetts, it will be up to your Boston criminal defense attorney to combat the charges against you. Rape is a crime that usual involves non-consensual sexual intercourse between people, usually by force or under threat of injury. A defendant can be accused of raping a stranger, a friend, an acquaintance, a significant other, or a spouse.
A good Boston sexual crimes lawyer will know how to investigate the evidence against you, as well as determine what evidence exists in your defense. There may be information or evidence that could get the charges against you dropped or reduced. A conviction for rape in Massachusetts could lead to years in prison. Your name would also be placed on the Massachusetts’ sexual offenders list.
Coast Guardsman faces rape trial in Mass., Examiner.com, February 3 2009
Barnstable trial on rape charges begins Tues., CapeCodOnline.com, February 2, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Mass Law about Rape and Sexual Assault, Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
Sex Offender Registry Board, Mass.gov
You must take the Massachusetts rape charges against you very seriously, which is what we will do if you retain the services of our Boston sexual crimes law firm to represent you. Contact Altman & Altman, LLP today.