Sexual Offences Lawyer Cairns — Fixed Fee
$5,500 — Fixed Fee
Sexual offence plea — Cairns Magistrates Court — $5,500 Covers : initial confidential consultation, review of the police brief and QP9, advice on charge and facts negotiation, preparation of sentencing submissions and supporting material, and full appearance at the plea and sentencing hearing. No hidden fees. One invoice. All fees +10% GST.
What Is Included
Initial confidential consultation — protected by legal professional privilege Review of the police brief, the QP9, and all prosecution material Advice on the charge, the facts alleged, and whether negotiation with the prosecution is appropriate Preparation of written sentencing submissions, including character references and any psychological or medical reports where relevant Guidance on what supporting material to obtain and how to present it Full appearance by Sacha at the plea and sentencing hearing Post-sentence advice on the outcome, any conditions imposed, and reporting obligations The $5,500 fee reflects a straightforward Magistrates Court plea. District Court representation is covered under separate fixed fees — District Court Plea (from $12,000) · District Court Trial (from $15,000) · Supreme Court . What Sexual Offences Cover Sexual offence charges in Queensland arise under the Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld) and, in some cases, Commonwealth legislation. The charges span a wide range of alleged conduct and carry very different maximum penalties and court pathways. Charges that can be dealt with in the Magistrates Court include: Indecent acts and public indecency Non-consensual sharing of intimate images under section 223 of the Criminal Code Indecent treatment of a child — certain summary categories Lower-range offences where the prosecution elects summary disposition Strictly indictable charges that proceed to the District or Supreme Court include: Rape — maximum life imprisonment Sexual assault under section 352 of the Criminal Code — maximum 10 years Indecent treatment of a child under 16 — maximum 20 years (under 12) or 14 years (under 16) Maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child under section 229B of the Criminal Code — maximum life imprisonment Exposing a child to an indecent act Commonwealth offences involving online communication with minors for sexual purposes The pathway — whether the matter stays in the Magistrates Court or proceeds to the District or Supreme Court — depends on the specific charge, the facts, and the prosecution's election. Sacha will advise at the first consultation which court is likely to deal with your matter and what the realistic sentencing range is. Why the First Week MattersA sexual offence charge involves decisions in the first days that shape the entire case. The wrong decision early — participating in a police interview without advice, making contact with the complainant or associated persons, or failing to preserve relevant evidence — can be irreversible. The police interview. In almost every sexual offence matter, the right advice is to exercise your right to silence and decline to participate in a formal interview until you have spoken to a lawyer. Police interviews in sexual offence investigations are detailed, structured, and designed to produce a record that supports the prosecution's case. Call Civic Law before any interview. Contact with the complainant or witnesses. Any contact — direct or through a third party — after a charge is laid is a serious mistake. It can constitute an additional offence, result in more restrictive bail conditions, and damage your credibility before the court. Do not make contact. Preserving your own evidence. Relevant communications, records, or other material that supports your account needs to be preserved immediately. Once deleted or lost, it cannot be recovered. Tell Sacha everything at the first conference — the full picture, not a selective account. Confidentiality Every conversation with Sacha is protected by legal professional privilege. That protection is absolute — it cannot be waived by anyone other than you and it does not expire. What you tell Sacha in conference cannot be disclosed without your consent. Sexual offence matters require a practitioner who will hear the full account without judgment and advise on the basis of what the evidence actually shows. That is what the first conference is for. What Sacha Focuses On The prosecution brief is reviewed in full before any submissions are prepared or any advice given on plea. Where the evidence is weak — inconsistent complainant accounts, absence of corroboration, communications that contradict the allegation — Sacha will identify it early and advise on whether a defended hearing is the right course. For plea matters, the written submissions Sacha prepares address the specific circumstances of the offence, your personal history, any psychological or medical material, and the relevant sentencing principles. Sexual offence sentencing involves significant judicial discretion, and the quality of the material placed before the court matters. Where the charge or the facts alleged by the prosecution can be negotiated — reduced to a lesser charge, or the statement of facts amended to remove aggravating features — Sacha pursues that before the plea is entered.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Should I do a police interview? In almost all sexual offence matters, the advice is to exercise your right to silence and decline to participate in an interview until you have specific legal advice. Call Civic Law before any interview — including before you go to the police station voluntarily. Will my matter be reported in the media? Court proceedings in Queensland are generally open to the public and press. However, specific restrictions apply in sexual offence matters — complainant identities are protected by law, and in matters involving child complainants, additional suppression rules apply. Sacha will explain what will and will not become public in your specific case at the first consultation. What if the allegation is false? Defending a charge you maintain is false requires methodical preparation from the earliest stage — preserving communications, identifying witnesses, obtaining expert evidence where relevant, and building a consistent and credible account. Tell Sacha everything from the first conference. A selective account does not help. Can I continue working while the matter is before the court? This depends on your employer, your industry, and any bail conditions. Certain industries — education, health, childcare, community services — have mandatory notification obligations when a worker is charged with certain offences. Sacha will advise on what obligations apply to your situation and how to manage them. What is a committal proceeding? For indictable sexual offence matters, the Magistrates Court holds a committal proceeding to determine whether the evidence is sufficient to commit the matter for trial in the District or Supreme Court. Sacha will explain the committal process and what it means for your matter if it applies.
Offender Reporting Obligations
Certain sexual offences trigger mandatory reporting obligations under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004 (Qld). Sacha will advise at sentence on whether any registration obligations apply in your matter and what they require.