You can only imagine the sense of shock and panic that might come over you when you discover that your partner has lied about their age and the encounter has suddenly taken on a whole new meaning and dimension.
In this challenging scenario, it would be a prudent move to seek out the services of a competent sex assault attorney who will be familiar with this sort of tricky situation and know how to deal with the consequences in the best way possible.
Here is a look at what it means and what might happen if your partner lied about how old they were, making the age of consent a very relevant issue.
A serious situation
There is no way to sugarcoat the situation. The bottom line is that even when it can be shown that a minor lied about their age they are unlikely to face any serious repercussions as a result of their misdirection.
On the other hand, if you are the person who is accused of engaging in sex with someone who is classed as a minor it leaves you very exposed to the possibility of being charged with a sex crime.
Many states view this sort of situation in much the same way. A lack of knowledge that your partner had not reached the age of consent is not considered to be a justifiable defense and you could conceivably face a very serious charge such as statutory rape.
Having sexual relations with someone who is below the legal age of consent means you can be charged with a sex crime, even when the minor lied about their age. Some states take a view that this can be a defense, but they are in the minority, and the minor has to be over a certain age for this defense to be considered.
Different laws in different states
As you might expect, the age of consent varies across different states. It may be as low as 16 years of age in some states and 18 in others, so it very much depends where the alleged offense took place when determining whether the age of consent was breached.
There is the possibility that a defense could be raised if you were close in age to the minor. In other words, if both sexual partners are within three years of age between them that might trigger the ability to file a defense that is based upon so-called close-in-age exceptions.
However unfair you might consider it to be, especially when someone clearly looks and tells you that they are older than they actually are, their dishonesty is not likely to be an allowable defense that you can use to escape charges.
The burden is always on you to ensure that you are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the person you are entering into a sexual relationship with is beyond the age of consent in your state.
The consequences of not checking the facts are very severe. That is why you should consult a sex crime attorney as quickly as possible if you find yourself in this very difficult and dangerous situation.
Leave a Reply