Charge Withdrawn -- Threatening Death (Domestic)

The client's life was turned upside-down when it was alleged by his spouse that he threatened to kill her with a firearm. As is often the case when allegations of violence or threats arise between domestic partners, strict bail conditions were put in place preventing the client from having contact with his spouse and his children. Circumstances like these can often lead an accused person to want to plead guilty as soon as possible just to get the matter over with and, hopefully, to get things back to normal. This short-sighted approach ignores the long term impact of a criminal record, or the impact of a finding of guilt on subsequent family court proceedings. For these reasons it becomes imperative for a criminal defence lawyer to deal with bail restrictions while working toward the best possible disposition of the charges.

Mr. MacDonald made sure that the bail restrictions were varied so that the client could have contact with his former spouse to facilitate access to his children. By the time the day of trial finally came to pass, Mr. MacDonald negotiated with the Crown for the charge to withdrawn. The client thus survived the stresses and impediments of being on bail until the charge was dropped, and things could truly return to normal.