Rape is defined as illegitimate sexual intercourse through the anus, vagina, breast, or any other body part, with or without force, through one’s sex organ, or any other body parts, or a foreign material without the permission of the victim. Rape is committed when a victim withdraws his or her consent during a sexual act and is forced to complete the sexual act (Danaher, 2018). If the suspect is 25 and met a 15-year-old suspect in a drinking establishment, the suspect is held responsible for rape. The victim is not liable since, in such a case, the victim has not attained the age of consent, 16 (Spohn, 2020).
The possible punishment or charges in Taylor’s case include first-degree rape, human trafficking, or a minimum and a maximum jail term of 5 and 25 years respectively (Spohn, 2020). For example, in the video, Maggie, the presenter, and Christopher Lawrence, Police Commissioner and Supervisor, Ramapo, New York, explore possible outcomes of alleged rape case. According to Maggie, the young lady was allegedly a prostitute, but the commissioner holds that she is a minor; hence Lawrence Taylor, the suspect, is liable to law pursuit (n.d., YouTube). A Third-Degree felony is having sexual intercourse with someone below 16 years of age since at this age, the law considers such an individual as a minor and unable give a legal sexual consensus.
If one is ignorant about the victim’s age, the suspect is liable to prosecution and charged with rape as an offense (Danaher, 2018). Even in cases where the victim may look older than 16, the suspect is still held guilty of rape. It is, therefore, clear that our laws on sexual assault are right and reasonable since the law’s main aim is to protect life. The strict sexual assault laws ensure that the minor’s rights, victims below 16, are not undermined, and the rules aim to instill responsible sexual acts among the adults.
References
Danaher, J. (2018). The law and ethics of virtual sexual assault. In Research handbook on the law of virtual and augmented reality. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Spohn, C. (2020). Sexual assault case processing: The more things change, the more they stay the same. International journal for crime, justice and social democracy, 9(1), 86.
CBS. (2010). Lawrence Taylor’s underage rape charge [Video]. Web.