Juvenile Assault: Protect Your Child’s Future With a Strong Defence

Within Canada, children under the age of 12 cannot be charged with any crimes. If a child commits a crime and is older than 14 but younger than 18, then that child can be charged with a crime—such as assault—but the justice system is the youth criminal justice system covered by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Under Canadian Law, children are generally treated with much more leniency than adults would be who have committed the same crimes. This is because children are viewed as lacking the judgement and clarity of thought that an adult should have. There are, however, some exceptions, to the view toward leniency, and regarding particularly vicious crimes, it is possible for children to be tried as adults and receive stiff penalties.

For this reason—and a few others—it is critically important that children have a top-notch criminal defence. If the child or child’s family cannot afford their own defence lawyer, then one will be appointed to the defend the child in the same way that an adult has a right to a defence lawyer.

In other words, if your child has been charged with a criminal offence such as assault, please take the situation very seriously. If a child is found guilty of a criminal offence, then the child has a record. Usually, this record will be sealed after some period of time when the child becomes an adult, if the child does not commit any other crimes.

So, if you have a child, who is charged with any kind of assault, please contact Gagan Nahal for a free consultation in Vancouver at (604) 527-4769 as soon as possible. Mr. Nahal’s law practice focuses on criminal defence law, and he has extensive experience in this area of the law. Just as we recommend with adults who have been charged with crimes, we would advise not to make any statements to the police without first consulting your lawyer. Your child has that right. 

Gagan Nahal is a criminal defence lawyer based in Surrey, British Columbia, although he has represented clients across Canada. He works vigorously and tirelessly defending his clients. 

If you have any questions about this article or you would like to talk to Mr. Nahal, please call him directly at (604) 527-4769.