People v. Craft CA1/4

Background Defendant was charged by an amended information with two counts of forcible rape (§ 261, subd. (a)(2)) and one count of forcible oral copulation (§ 288a, subd. (c)(2)(A)) against one victim, and with an additional count of forcible rape involving a second victim. The amended information also alleged various enhancements including that defendant inflicted great bodily injury (§§ 12022.53, subd. (d), 12022.7, 12022.8) during the commission of the rapes. Defendant pled no contest to two counts of rape and admitted the great- bodily-injury enhancement on one of the counts in exchange for dismissal of the remaining charges and allegations and a stipulated sentence of 17 years, which was significantly lower than the life term he could have received if convicted of all charges after a trial. Before sentencing, defendant made an oral motion to withdraw his plea and requested a new attorney. He claimed that he had been “forced to sign [the] deal” and that his attorney had not talked to him about “how to fight the case.” Defendant explained further that one of the victims had “committed perjury, and nobody is trying to address the fact that she committed perjury.” The matter was…