The Georgia Supreme Court recently upheld a lower court’s ruling against a 17 year old Georgia boy. He will be sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole, and he will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
What heinous crime did he commit, you ask? Here’s a quote from the court’s decision:
aggravated child molestation based upon an act of oral sodomy performed on him by victim T.C., which was documented on videotape and seems to show that the victim’s participation in the act was voluntary
He had consensual oral sex with a 15 year old girl, someone only two years his junior. For this he gets 10 years in jail and the scarlet letter of “sex offender” for the rest of his life.
Yeah.
I’m not kidding.
If that doesn’t get you in a tizzy, think about this … according to Georgia law, sexual intercourse between a 17 year old and a 15 year old is only a misdemeanor. So the boy should have had vaginal sex with the girl instead of getting a blowjob.
Yeah, the guy was obviously stupid for video taping the whole thing. But 10 years???
The law is apparently being changed to negate this sort of situation, but that doesn’t help this young man.
Hat Tip: Volokh Conspiracy, via Andrew Sullivan.
3 responses so far ↓
1
Michelle
// Dec 19, 2006 at 5:02 am
Many a Tazewell County child molester has received far less. I’m often amazed at the men who get probation after essentially ruining a young child for life.
2
knightindragonland
// Dec 19, 2006 at 7:57 pm
I have no problem with child molesters being prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, two adolescents messing around consensually is not something the legal system should become involved with. I have no problem with their PARENTS becoming involved, of course.
I understand that the whole idea of “age of consent” is that we don’t consider children capable of making their own decisions until they are past that age (16 in Georgia’s case). However, when it’s two teenagers that close in age … such behavior should be punished as a misdemeanor, if at all.
This case made it all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court, and I don’t blame the defense lawyer one bit for fighting this ridiculous sentence tooth & nail. Think about how many dollars were wasted fighting this case – resources that could have been used to prosecute REAL child molesters.
3
Vonster
// Dec 28, 2006 at 8:07 pm
Fairness dictates that I note when I agree with you. That case is just dumb.
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