Age of age is something that many people overlook. Unfortunately, doing so can get you in a lot of trouble. What may seem like an innocent teen relationship can turn into something ugly if statutory rape charges are pursued.
Colorado Age of Consent Laws for Dating & Statutory Rape
By legal definition, the age of consent is the age at which a person can legally give consent or permission to have sexual relations. Colorado law states that a person of 17 years of age can legally consent to sexual interactions, regardless click here the age of his or her partner as long as that partner is also at least 17 years old.
This close-in-age exemption can provide defense for individuals who have participated in colorado consensual sexual activity in which one or both parties are under the age of consent. However, if a person over the age of consent has sex with someone under the age of consent, that person could potentially face statutory rape criminal charges in Colorado.
A young person who is under the age of 15, can choose to have sexual laws with a person who is within 4 years of his or her age. Example: Sarah laws 15 and chooses to have sex with John, who is Though she is below the technical age of consent, because John is within 4 years of her age, they can choose to engage in sexual intercourse. If instead, John was 21, he could laws charged criminally, as Sarah is too young to consent to have sex with him.
If the person is at least colorado but younger than 17 years old, he or she can consent to engage in sexual intercourse with a person within 10 years of his or her age. This means that a person who is 15 years old could consent to have sex with someone who is 24 years old because the older person is not more than 10 years older than the younger person.
Even if the sex itself is consensual, individuals who are dating the age of 17 are not permitted to consent to have sex with someone older than In this instance, the older party is still guilty of a crime, even if the younger partner agreed to participate in the sexual acts.
This is also true if the younger party not only consented but also initiated the sexual interaction. Statutory rape is a criminal offense in which a person dating sex with someone who is under the age of consent. This falls under the category of sexual assault, which can result in very serious consequences ranging from misdemeanor to felony charges, depending on the age difference and sexual acts between the two people in question.
2. Legal defenses to charges under Colorado’s dating law
Even if the sex technically is consensual — as in both parties give consent — it is still considered sexual assault because the younger person is under the age of consent. Someone convicted of sexual assault under the statutory rape clause will have to register as a sex offender with the state. Statutory rape is a tricky thing to navigate, as the rules and laws surrounding it vary from state to state.
In Colorado, the following laws regarding statutory age are in place:. Getting convicted of statutory rape in Colorado can result in a range of severe consequences, including:. Again, the laws surrounding statutory rape are difficult to navigate and understand. You should also research and understand your rights if you are accused of a sex crime.
In some instances, the party assumes his or her partner is of age; in other cases, the younger person might lie about his or her age. Neither of these scenarios is a defense age the state of Colorado.
Colin M. Bresee is a successful Denver-based sexual assault attorney who specializes in commit iamthe.ak onlyfans leaked similar of sexual dating. Greenwood Village Plaza Blvd. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
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