Delaware General Assembly

Out of Committee 6/7/06

The General Assembly has ended, the current status is the final status.

3/28/06

Blevins

Sen. Sorenson

Reps. Hudson, McWilliams

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SEX OFFENSES AGAINST CHILDREN.

This Act fosters consistency in the statutes defining sexual offenses against children by providing that unlawful sexual contact against a child over whom the defendant holds a position of trust, authority or supervision is unlawful sexual contact first degree. This demarcation is similar to that in the rape statutes. The Act also closes a loophole in the definition of unlawful sexual contact by clearly prohibiting a defendant from intentionally causing or allowing a child to touch him or her in a sexual manner. The “mistake of age” provision applicable to Delaware’s sex crimes laws is updated by this Act. Because there are different age thresholds defined in the various sex crimes statutes which were recently revised, the language must be changed to include all such age levels. The Act also extends the coverage of the existing offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child to any course of criminal sexual conduct perpetrated against any child under the age of 18. Author: Senator Blevins

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Takes effect upon being signed into law

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