In North Carolina, legal convictions for sexual offenses, including legal rape and the other offenses we`ve discussed here, require registration on the sex offender registry. Any « reportable convictions » must be recorded, including several sexual offences involving minors not mentioned here, such as sexual exploitation of children or indecent freedoms with children. You should immediately contact a criminal defense attorney in North Carolina for help with your legal rape charge. If you hire a lawyer, they will advise you on the best defenses available and help you defend yourself in court against the charges. If you are accused of legal rape or another sexual offense involving minors, please contact Kurtz & Blum`s expert defense attorneys today. We are here to listen to your side of the story and explain your options for dealing with the allegations against you. If you`re facing allegations of legal rape, you know it`s serious. However, the complexity of the laws makes it difficult to understand the true extent of the punishment you are facing. To help you better understand the case against you, our criminal defense attorney in Raleigh will provide you with an in-depth look at North Carolina`s legal rape laws, including possible sanctions and strategies your defense attorney can use to achieve a more favorable outcome. North Carolina has three criminal laws dedicated to legal rape offenses: legal rape of a child by an adult, legal first-degree rape, and legal rape of a person 15 or younger.
Legal rape of a child by an adult is the crime of a person at least 18 years of age who has vaginal intercourse with a victim under the age of 13. Someone commits legal first-degree rape when they have vaginal intercourse with a victim under the age of 13 when they are at least four years older than the victim and at least 12 years older. Depending on the particular circumstances of the case, defendants facing legal allegations of rape may face more than one of the charges listed above. Sex crimes against minors are taken very seriously in North Carolina, and legal rape falls into that category. In the case of legal rape, a person convicted of this crime will likely have to register as a sex offender. However, some cases may not require registration. For some of the offences described above, the age difference between the alleged victim and the accused may affect the seriousness of the offence charged and the possible penalties for conviction. For example, in the crime of « lawful rape of a person 15 years of age or younger, » the offense is charged as a Class B1 crime if the defendant is six years of age or older than the alleged victim. However, the offence is punishable as a Class C crime if the accused is between four and six years older than the alleged victim.
Similarly, the same distinctions apply to the crime of « lawful sexual offence with a person 15 years of age or younger. » Many crimes in North Carolina are statute-barred. This means that the Public Prosecutor`s Office can no longer prosecute a conviction for a criminal offence after the expiry of the limitation period. North Carolina does not have a statute of limitations for sexual offenses. In other words, if a person is accused of legal rape, they can be brought to justice at any time, regardless of how much time has elapsed since the alleged crime. If you are convicted of one of the legal sexual offences discussed here, the conviction will remain on your criminal record for the rest of your life. You cannot hide your conviction from future employers, colleagues or neighbours, even if you no longer need to register with the sex offender registry. The age of the alleged victim and defendant can make a significant difference in specific charges under North Carolina law, as evidenced by the above descriptions of legal sexual offenses. Some types of rape and related crimes occur only when the alleged victim is 12 years of age or younger, while others occur only when the alleged victim is 15 years of age or younger. The accusation of rape may seem hopeless, but it is not. While consent is not a defence for this crime, there are other ways to combat these charges. It is important to note that whether or not the minor has consensual sex is not relevant to the criminal defense against legal allegations of rape.