If you plead guilty to an offence, even if it is a first offence, you will ordinarily receive a conviction.
A conviction can prevent you from obtaining employment in the future, as a conviction will show up in a national criminal history check.
A conviction remains on your record for 10 years. That is a long period of time within which to have significantly diminished job prospects.
However if you are granted a spent conviction, your conviction is not disclosable other than in a few limited circumstances. This means it will not show up on a national criminal history check and won’t generally affect your prospects of employment.
Obtaining a spent conviction can be difficult. Properly presenting your case for a spent conviction can mean the difference between being granted a spent conviction or not. There are strict criteria which you must satisfy and even if those criteria are satisfied, the order is still discretionary.
It is crucial that you obtain a skilled lawyer who can identify which of the criteria you meet, and who can present a detailed and comprehensive application for a spent conviction on your behalf. This will include obtaining the necessary documentation and references in support of your application.
At James Jackson Criminal Defence, we have helped many clients obtain spent conviction orders. This includes in cases where there are multiple charges and in cases where the client was convicted after a trial. We have also obtained a spent conviction order for a client who had previously received a spent conviction order, which is a very rare outcome.
Don’t hesitate to contact us today if you require an expert, persuasive application for a spent conviction order.
