If you are arrested or charged with a fraud offence you should exercise your right to answer “no comment” to any questions the police put to you until you have had an opportunity to speak to a lawyer. You can use our Find a Lawyer directory to contact a solicitor who specialises in criminal law near you.

A lawyer can consider the charges and assess the evidence the prosecution has against you.

They will advise you whether you should consider pleading guilty early so you can receive a discount on your sentence. Alternatively your lawyer might advise you that you have a defence or that there appears to be insufficient evidence for the prosecution to prove your case beyond reasonable doubt.

There are many elements (parts) to a fraud offence and the prosecution needs to prove each element beyond a reasonable doubt. A lawyer’s expertise will be invaluable in advising you how best to deal with fraud charges. A lawyer can assess whether the evidence against you is sufficient to prove every element of the charge.

A lawyer can also consider past cases that are similar to yours where perhaps a lighter penalty was given or charges were dismissed. Those precedents will be very helpful in negotiations with the prosecutor and in court.