Should You Confide In Friends If You’re Accused of a Sex Crime?

By Desmond Kolke | Published on October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments

Legal experts like Lakewood sex crime attorney Desmond Kolke of The Law Offices of Desmond Kolke say that individuals should never confide in friends or family members when it comes to legal matters. This is especially true when it comes to matters involving sex crimes, since counselors, doctors, teachers, and clergy members are all required by law to report these matters to the authorities in cases involving suspected abuse or sex crimes.

In the state of Washington, any person who suspects that a child has been the victim of an abuse crime is required to report that suspicion to law enforcement. Kolke says that he has worked with a number of clients who got themselves into trouble by confessing their past mistakes to loved ones or members of the clergy. With that in mind, he recommends that individuals never disclose what is going on in that regard to their friends or employers. This is especially true when it comes to sex crimes.

If something is going on, a person should not confide in anyone except for his or her sex crime attorney. In Lakewood, Kolke takes these types of matters very seriously. Confidential relationships between clients and their mental wellness counselors or physicians mean nothing when it comes to reporting sex crimes and suspicions of abuse, says Kolke. However, the relationship between an individual and his attorney is protected.

Kolke offers an example of what can happen if a person is not cautious about who he or she talks to about these types of confidential matters. A former client of Kolke’s law firm ended up talking to his pastor about an incident involving his own child, and he told the pastor that he had done something that he felt really guilty about. That pastor ended up having to report the confession to the legal authorities in his area, and as a result that individual has now been barred from seeing his kids. Not only that, but he is not able to work in certain occupations because of an incident that occurred three or four years prior.

While the Lakewood sex crime attorney is careful to point out that he is not saying that people should not confess things or talk to their confidants, he does recommend speaking with an attorney before making these types of statements or disclosures. It is always best that people understand what ramifications their statements may have before making them.

For more information, the Lakewood sex crime attorney recommends getting in contact with his office.

*Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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