Sex Crimes Defense If you or a loved one has been accused of a sex crime or
of child abuse, you know how important it is to find quality, aggressive legal representation. Unfortunately, being charged
with a crime like sexual assault, child pornography, child molestation, indecent solicitation of a child or child abuse often
times has immediate and lasting effects on your job, your loved ones, and your reputation, even if you are completely innocent.
Without the support of a knowledgeable, empathetic attorney, defending against such a charge can be overwhelming and down-right
frightening. Those convicted of sex crimes in Rhode Island
are frequently subjected to long periods of incarceration, restrictive conditions of supervised probation, and at times, lifelong
GPS monitoring (which allows the State to know the location of the offender at all times). Most are also subjected to
their personal information and location being relayed to various Rhode Island agencies and organizations (depending on their
Sex Offender Classification Level).
To learn
more about Sex Offender Levels in Rhode Island, as well as the penalties for various sex crimes, please visit Kate Godin's
Rhode Island Sex Crimes Defense Blog by clicking here. Kate has had recent success representing those charged
with and/or convicted of sex crimes in Rhode Island. The following are a few examples: 1. Client was charged with one count
of first-degree child molestation, as well as one count of second-degree child molestation
against his six-year old daughter, and faced up to life imprisonment. For two years, he was legally prohibited from
having any contact with his children. He was subject to electronic monitoring, and was unable to leave his home without
the permission of the Rhode Island Probation Department. Due to the charges, his entire neighborhood simply assumed
that he was guilty of molesting his daughter. Following a trial, the judge dismissed the count of second-degree
child molestation, and acquitted him of first-degree child molestation. 2. Client was found partially dressed in his car, with a fifteen-year old
boy in the backseat (who was buttoning up his jeans and putting his shift back on when the police found him). Police
learned that the boy was a member of the soccer team the defendant was coaching, and believed that the client had engaged
in multiple acts of "consensual" sex with the boy. The State charged the defendant with two counts of third-degree
sexual assault (statutory rape) (since the boy was not old enough to legally consent to the sex acts).
The prosecution ended up dismissing one of the counts, leaving the judge to sentence the defendant to a suspended
sentence and probation for the remaining count. The judge also declared that the required
residency restriction under R.I.G.L. 11-37.1-10(c) (which prohibits sex offenders from living within 300' of a school)
was unconstitutional as it applied to the defendant (who had been living in his family home for several decades).
3. Client was charged with four
counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation for
sexual misconduct against his girlfriend's daughter. Following a trial (in which the defendant was represented by another
attorney), the defendant was sentenced to a forty-year sentence, including twenty-five years imprisonment. Attorney
Godin prepared a motion for new trial, as well as a post-conviction relief application to submit on the defendant's behalf,
and the motion for new trial was granted. In addition to Rhode Island sex crimes defense, Kate Godin also handles sex
crimes defense in Massachusetts. In fact, Attorney Godin was recently admitted to serve on the Sex Offender Review
Board (SORB) Appellate Panel of the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS). If you or a loved one has been charged with a sex offense, or has been convicted and
assigned a Sex Offender Classification Level that you would like to appeal, please contact Attorney Godin at (401) 274-2423 as soon as possible
for quality, aggressive and skilled representation.
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