Under the Utah legal code Title 18, Chapter 1href5, Sexual Battery of a Minor (age 16 - 17) is a felony when committed by a person who is a minimum of five years older than the victim. To commit this crime requires that the perpetrator has the intent to appeal to, arouse, or gratify the sexual desires or lust of the perpetrator, the minor child, or some other person.
Conviction of Sexual Battery of a Minor in Idaho carries penalties up to life in prison. To keep your freedom if you are charged with this crime, you need the best Child Sexual Abuse Lawyers Idaho offers to build the most effective legal defense possible.
If you are charged with sexual battery of a minor in Idaho, you need the best sex crimes attorney Idaho can offer to help you protect your freedom.
Click to jump to section:
- What Is Sexual Battery of a Minor?
- Definitions of the Sex Crimes Against a Minor
- Penalties for Conviction of Sexual Battery of a Minor
- Top Criminal Defense Lawyer in Idaho
What Acts Constitute the Crime of Sexual Battery of a Minor
In Idaho, the crime of Sexual Battery of a Minor is defined by committing one of the acts described below, per Idaho Code Title 18 Sec 15:
- Committing any lewd or lascivious act or acts involving any part of the body of a minor child of either sex.
- Involving a minor child in any form of “explicit sexual conduct” defined under Idaho 18-15.7.
- Soliciting a minor to participate in a sexual act.
- Causing or having sexual contact with a minor, other than contact included in the kinds of lewd conduct referenced in subsection A above.
- Creating a photographic image or electronic recording of a minor child with the intent of committing a sex crime as defined in Idaho 18-15.
Definitions of the Sex Crimes Against a Minor
For the purposes of the subsections of Idaho Code 18-15, which address the concepts of criminal conduct involved in Sexual Battery of a Minor, these key definitions apply:
- Solicit: A written, physical, or verbal action that is intended to convey to a minor the perpetrator’s or someone else’s desire to engage in a sexual act or sex foreplay by having some form of sexual contact with the minor child, or by observing, or photographing the minor involved in sexual contact.
- Sexual contact: Any form of physical sexual self-contact, or such contact between minor children or between a minor and another person that is caused by the perpetrator.
Penalties for Conviction of Sexual Battery of a Minor in Idaho
The sentences can be severe for people convicted of the crime of Sexual Battery of a Minor in Idaho. As you can see, the penalties can range from 25 years to life in prison:
- A person convicted of a crime as described in Idaho Code 18-15-1.A (a lewd or lascivious act) will receive up to a life sentence in the Idaho state prison system.
- A person convicted of a crime as described in Idaho Code 18-15-1.B, C, or D (solicitation or sexual contact) will receive a sentence of up to 25 years in the Idaho state prison system.
Hire an Experienced Idaho Criminal Defense Lawyer
Penalties for conviction of sex crimes involving minors in Idaho can include very long prison sentences. Further, after being released from prison, managing one’s life as a convicted felon can be very difficult. So, if you have been arrested and charged with Sexual Battery of a Minor, your future is at stake. It is important that you fully understand the extent of your legal rights and have the best Sex Abuse Lawyers possible to help you protect your freedom.
You’ll need to work with the best Boise, Idaho sex crimes lawyer you can get, to help you identify all your options and discuss the potential outcomes of your criminal case.
If You Have Been Charged with a Sex Crime, Contact Sawtooth Defense Lawyers for Help!
We are criminal defense attorneys in Boise, Idaho with experience in sex crimes. Our lawyers go to work quickly to have charges dropped or reduced, keep you from going to jail, and prevent having you added to the Idaho state sex offender registry.
