Jacksonville Robbery by Sudden Snatching Lawyer

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There are few crimes that are more serious than Robbery.  A common example of Robbery by Sudden Snatching is a man running past a woman and snatching her purse from her as he continues to run.  There are significant consequences for a Robbery by Sudden Snatching conviction.  Give the experienced Jacksonville criminal defense lawyer of LGL a call to discuss your particular case.

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Robbery is defined in Florida Statute Section 812.131.  To prove the crime of Robbery, the State must prove:

• You took the money or property from the person of the victim, and
  

• the property taken was of some value, and
  

• the taking was with the intent to permanently or temporarily deprive the victim or owner of his or her right to the property, and
  

• in the course of the taking, the victim was or became aware of the taking.
  

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"In the course of the taking" means that the act occurred prior to, contemporaneous with, or subsequent to the taking of the property and that the act and the taking of the property constitutes a continuous series of acts or events. 

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It would still be considered a robbery even if the person the property was taken from wasn't the actual owner.  For example, if someone borrowed a cell phone from a friend and you took that cell phone from the person at gunpoint, you would be guilty of robbery, even though the cell phone did not belong to the victim.

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The amount of force required for a person to be convicted of a robbery is very minimal.  In fact, the victim doesn't have to resist at all if they fear death or great bodily harm.  For example, if a group of boys surround one boy and demand his lunch money, the boy does not have to resist if he reasonably fears that the group of boys will cause great bodily harm.

The law:
It is not necessary for the State to prove that the defendant used any amount of force beyond that effort necessary to obtain possession of the money or other property, that there was nay resistance offered by the victim or that there was any injury to the victim's person.

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There may be many defenses to your particular robbery by sudden snatching case, but a common defense is that it was a theft and not a robbery.  If the victim did not become aware of the taking, it would not be a robbery.  This is often a contested issue.  There may be many different fact specific defenses, so give us a call to discuss your case.   

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