Florida’s Sexual Offenses
Florida classifies sexual crimes into three primary categories of sexual offenses:
Lewd or Lascivious Acts
Lewd or Lascivious Acts are sex crimes committed on a person younger than sixteen. The four most commonly charged Lewd and Lascivious sex crimes are:
- Lewd and Lascivious Battery
- Lewd and Lascivious Molestation
- Lewd and Lascivious Conduct
- Lewd and Lascivious Exhibition
There are two important points that apply to any lewd and lascivious offenses.
- Ignorance of the victim’s age can not be raised as a defense to any lewd and lascivious crime; and
- The Age of the accused is not a defense; meaning if a 12 year-old were to have sex with a 14 year-old, either child, or both children, could be prosecuted for a lewd and lascivious crime.
Sexual Battery or Rape
The crime of Rape, which is referred to as Sexual Battery in Florida, involves any non-consensual sexual activity that occurs as a result of force, coercion, or incapacitation.
For more information on Sexual Battery in Florida, please visit the Sexual Battery and Rape section.
Unlawful Sexual Activity with Minors
The crime of Unlawful Sexual Activity with Minors or Statutory Rape is committed when a person 24 years of age or older engages in consensual sex with a 16 or 17 year old minor.
For more information, please visit: Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors
Contact Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer Richard Hornsby
If you have been arrested or charged with a sex crime in Central Florida or the greater Orlando area, please contact Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer Richard Hornsby today.
The initial consultation is free and I am always available to advise you on the proper course of action that can be taken.