When you’re charged with domestic assault, one of the first questions you’re likely to ask is: “How do I get these charges dropped?”At Kruse Law, we handle many domestic assault cases across Ontario. While there is no guaranteed way to have a charge withdrawn, there are specific legal strategies that can lead to a charge being dropped, reduced, or resolved without a criminal record. Step 1: Reviewing the Disclosure
The first step in every case is obtaining and reviewing full disclosure. This includes:
- Police reports
- Witness statements
- Video evidence
- Photographs
- Any other material gathered by the police
We review this evidence with our clients in detail. You’ll also have the opportunity to review the disclosure yourself, often in our office, and prepare a statement outlining your version of events.
This allows us to assess:
- The strengths and weaknesses of the Crown’s case
- Whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction
- The likelihood of achieving a withdrawal or a favourable resolution
When Charges May Be Withdrawn
If the Crown determines there is no reasonable prospect of conviction, they may withdraw the charges.
This can happen if there are:
- Major evidentiary weaknesses
- Contradictory statements
- Procedural errors in how evidence was gathered
- A recantation by the complainant (where the complainant admits their original statement was inaccurate)
While some Crown attorneys are reluctant to withdraw charges for political reasons, strong advocacy and a clear demonstration of the case’s weaknesses can result in a withdrawal.
Negotiating Alternative Resolutions
When there is some evidence that could lead to a conviction, we focus on negotiating alternative outcomes:
1. Early Intervention and Diversion
For minor cases involving no or minimal injuries and a client with a strong background, we may be able to negotiate a peace bond through diversion.
- You may be required to attend counselling or complete other programs.
- The charges are withdrawn once conditions are met.
- In many cases, this allows you to return home if the complainant supports it.
2. Conditional Discharge
If there is a reasonable chance of conviction but the offence is minor, you may be able to plead guilty in exchange for a conditional discharge:
- No criminal record is registered.
- You are placed on probation (usually for one year).
- After completing probation, the matter is effectively treated as if it never resulted in a conviction, though it may appear on some background checks for a limited time.
Absolute discharges are rare in domestic assault cases, but a conditional discharge is often the next best outcome.
Factors That Make It Easier to Get Charges Dropped
- Minimal or no injuries
- Strong personal background (employment, community ties, no prior criminal record)
- Support from the complainant (The Crown has complete discretion whether a criminal charge will be withdrawn and the complainant cannot make this decision. While the complainant cannot decide to “drop charges,” their input will sometimes be considered by the Crown))
- Completion of counselling or treatment programs
If the complainant recants or changes their original statement, the Crown may also reconsider the case—especially if there is little or no other supporting evidence.
Why You Need a Lawyer
Domestic assault charges are serious, and the Crown follows strict policies for prosecuting them. Even in minor cases, it is difficult to have charges withdrawn without experienced legal representation.
A skilled defence lawyer can:
- Identify weaknesses in the Crown’s case
- Negotiate with the Crown for a withdrawal, diversion, or discharge
- Protect your record and help you move forward
- Effectively represent you at trial and win your case
Bottom Line
Having a domestic assault charge dropped in Ontario is possible in the right circumstances—particularly for minor cases involving minimal injuries and a strong defence strategy. Even when withdrawal isn’t an option, there are alternatives that can keep you from ending up with a criminal record.
If you’ve been charged with domestic assault, contact Kruse Law Firm for a consultation. Our experienced defence team will review your case, explain your options, and fight for the best possible result.
Video Transcription:
Our law firm represents a lot of people who are charged with domestic assault across the province of Ontario. The first question clients often ask us when they’re charged with the domestic assault is how do I get these charges dropped? Well, first and foremost, we need to get a hold of the disclosure. That’s all the police reports, the witness statements, the the video statements of the complainant and photographs, every scintilla of scrap of evidence that the police gathered, they have to give to the crown and the crown has to provide that to us. Once we have that, I will carefully go through with the client, you know, talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the Crown’s case. What are the extent of the injuries? Is there a reasonable prospect of conviction? What are the odds of winning etc, we’re then going to have the crown, I should say the client review the disclosure very carefully themselves, we usually set them up in our office over a course of a full day and write notes and start drafting a statement which we work with them on and to receive their version of events. The ultimate goal, of course for these charges have been withdrawn or dropped mean that’s a great result. And how do we go about doing that. So if I have a case of domestic assault, and there’s more minimal entries, or no injuries, we have a much better chance, first of all of getting a great result on that type of file. So I’m going to receive all of my clients background every thing about their personal history, I need to know so I’m going to I’m going to take that down and find out about all the positive things that are going on in their life, we often receive a resume, we talk about the background, you know, I take a personal background, over an hour, sometimes two hours a client with the client. So now I armed to go in and start negotiating with the crown attorney. Now, firstly, some domestic assault cases I analyze there’s no reasonable prospect of conviction, they’ve got a very weak case. And my goal on those types of charges to go and negotiate with the crown and say, Look, is there any reasonable prospect of conviction, that’s the test and Ontario, the crown attorneys if there’s no reasonable prospect or conviction to frankly withdraw the charges, so crowds aren’t willing to do that they’d rather politically run it’s easier for them to just run with the matter that then do that. But other crowds you can sometimes convince to simply withdraw the charge outright because they can’t win the case for various reasons. evidentiary weaknesses, weakness in their case, a statement that was taken incorrectly for the client, there’s just a whole plethora of reasons why there’s might be no reasonable prospect of eviction. Now in other cases where there is a reasonable prospect of conviction, whether I can get that charge dropped or get a great result, it really depends on the facts of the case. So let’s take case where there’s minimal injuries and a more minor assault, and my clients got a great background, I might be able to, I might be able to get what’s called early intervention on that. You know, where where we do upfront counseling, we talk to the crown, about their background, look, there’s no injuries, here was a minor pushing incident, the wife wants to back in the home, the wife wants this drop to as well. By the way, it’s easier to get charges dropped when the wife wants the person back or the wife wants, wants to drop the charges too. But the crown, they have to look at the injuries because of the injuries are too severe. And there’s a reasonable prospect condition, it’s pretty rare that you’re going to get the charges dropped to that fashion. But we’ve been very successful on more minor cases, if I might put it that way of getting the crowd regretted diversion, where there’s a peace bond and get the person back at the home, you have to do a lot of upfront counseling for that type of result. And again, I’m talking about minor cases where there’s clearly no injuries. And peace bond is possible. It’s difficult, it’s always difficult to get a peace bond in a domestic assault case, because the crown attorneys have strict policies and directives that they don’t want to withdraw charges. Unless it’s really minor and inconsequential. But I have been able to get crowns in certain cases even slightly more serious incidents that are pushing to agree to diversion, which is which is a fantastic resolved, the client can move on with his life, there are two charges withdrawn. They just enter into a peace bond, for example, to keep the peace and be a good behavior with perhaps what’s called revocable consent where the wife or girlfriend or boyfriend for that matter, wants them back in the home and they agree that they can come back in the home but that can be revoked at any time in the future unfortunately. So you’re a little bit at the mercy of the wife or husband going back into the home. If they try and revoke that they just would contact the probation officer. Now often another great result when it’s a case where there is a reasonable prospect To conviction where the crowd does have a valid case that they could potentially win at trial is what’s called a conditional discharge. Where there’s minimal to no injuries, and the client has a good background with no prior criminal record, perhaps we’ve done some counseling or you agree to counseling, the crown will often through negotiations with me agree that look, the client can plead guilty, but they won’t receive a criminal record. That’s called a conditional discharge where you’re there’s a finding of guilt, but you’re not convicted of a criminal offense. And you would be required to go on probation for say, a year or so. Again, there can be revoke kable sent if the spouse or significant other agrees, so you can go back into the home or associate with them. And that’s wonderful because you avoid a criminal record. One little minor problem with that is that could potentially show up on level two criminal record check for for about three years following the the conviction, but you’ll be able to get your fingerprints destroyed at a certain period of time and all the file wiped out and it after certain period of time will not appear. Even though it’s not a criminal record, I’ve seen it come up on criminal record checks for a certain period of time. And that’s just an unfortunate, I don’t believe it should. But that’s just the way the system we have in Ontario. So those are two great results depending on the case. Obviously, you know, the best results just outweigh withdraw where the crown feels they have no reasonable prospect conviction. second best result is early intervention or, or that diversion program where we diverted out of the criminal justice system, withdraw the criminal charge maybe for upfront counseling, and then, you know, enter into a peace bond perhaps and go home. Thankfully, third best result is a conditional discharge where we’re pleading guilty and avoiding criminal record. Absolute discharges are pretty, very difficult to come by for domestic assaults because the judge usually wants you to go on probation. But really, a conditional discharge really becomes an absolute discharge at the end of the probation period. Although, you know, you have to go through certain steps to meet with probation officer for 12 months. And as I mentioned, if a victim or complainant once the charges dropped, and it’s a minor case, that makes it a heck of a lot easier to get a great result. Even though the victims not in charge of the prosecution. The End the crown does not have to listen to them. They certainly take their wishes into account. The other situation where we can often get charges withdrawn before trial is where the victim recants that changes their statement. For example, they say, you know, I gave that statement to the police when I was drinking in my right frame of mind. It’s not accurate. I misstated the facts. Although I was telling the truth at that time. It’s just it’s not accurate and and the charges should be retried. That’s going to be a difficult case for the crown to prosecute. Even under oath video statement was taken by the complainant, they could still try but most of those cases go nowhere unless there’s other independent evidence proving the charge. So we have had success in getting domestic assault charges dropped. It is tricky, there’s no question it’s only applies to very minor charges were usually there’s minimal and hopefully no injuries with a client who has a pristine prior background of good character, we might have a chance in that case and and certainly there’s always a good chance of getting a conditional discharge even if you can’t get a white withdrawl. So that that’s how you get charged drop in the province and and the very important message which I’ll give you is you always should hire a lawyer. The lawyers are know what they’re doing if they’re experienced, and they can get you off and get you a good result and avoid a criminal record if not an outright draw on on minor domestic assault charges in Ontario. Thank you for watching our video, we are absolutely committed to bringing you the best possible criminal and DUI educational videos. If you found this video helpful, please like it and subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you’ve been charged with a criminal offence in Ontario and require our services, please click on the link in the description below. 
