Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania
I am 4 1/2 months pregnant and I was attacked twice and my unborn child's life was threatened all in the same day by another female about 3 weeks ago. The situation is complicated because the only witness to the attack is the father of her 10month old child who is also the father of my unborn child. Another complication is that although we were in his home she lived there but I had no knowledge of this at the time. I called the police and filed a report, she was accused of simple assault and harassment but she was not arrested so I filed criminal charges. In the attack there were no long-term injuries or injuries to the baby but a patch of my hair was pulled out, she banged my head into the railing, and she punched me in the back of the head three times. I went to the hospital the next with complaints of back, shoulder and neck pain to find out that I had a cervical strain and I could barely more for a week. The court date is next week and I recently found out that she has hired a lawyer and also that the father of my unborn child who is the only witness to the assault is going to testify on her behalf. I didn't feel that I needed an attorney because I was just going to plainly state what happened but when I text the witness (my unborn child's father) about testifying he basically told me in a text message that he was going to lie because he doesn't want his child's mother to go to jail. Now that I know this what should I do? Should I try to hire a lawyer? Can his testimony be thrown out based on a text message? He is the only witness, if his testimony is thrown out what happens to the case, will it just be her word against mine? What is the minimum she will receive if found guilty and what is the probability that she will be found guilty?
1 Answer from Attorneys
You definitely need legal help.
It does not have to cost a fortune. As far as the criminal prosecution goes,
you should be represented by the District Attorney's Office. They have a victim-witness unit.
Civilly, you can hire a private attorney, but whether or not a suit is worthwhile depends on the assets if any, of the person(s) responsible.
You are welcome to call me to discuss the matter at no charge on the phone. Good luck to you.
My web site is www.saulhsegan.com
My phone number is 215-732-4000
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