California Lewd Acts With A Minor Defense Attorneys

Lewd acts with a minor, otherwise referred to as Child Molestation, refer to sexual acts forced upon a person who is below the age of consent. Lewd acts often occur between minors and adults who already have a previous relationship with the minor, such as close family friends, extended family, or school personnel.

Understanding Lewd Acts with a Minor

According to California Penal Code section 288, “Any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act… upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, six, or eight years.”

California Penal Code also specifies that any person who commits a lewd act “by use of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim,” particularly if that person “is a caretaker,” then that person is guilty of a felony and shall be punished as well in state prison for three, six or eight years.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, or RAINN, 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker. Close relationships with those accused of Lewd Acts can sometimes result in clouded judgment. That is, minors who are victims of lewd acts may not identify the proper perpetrator, or may be pressured by a family member to positively identify a guilty party who may not truly be guilty.

Lewd acts with a minor can be very troubling, and consequently very confusing, particularly on a young victim. False identifications, mistaken incidents, and other outside factors can all contribute to false accusations and the burden of having to forever shake the child molestation label that will forever haunt the alleged offenders who may be innocent and merely accused by mistake.

After Lewd Acts with a Minor Accusations

Lewd acts with a minor is a serious offense with serious ramifications. Not only can it lead to jail time, but it can also lead to the serious social stigma of pedophilia. Such a stigma can lead to loss of one’s job, or the inability to get hired when seeking employment. In addition, those accused and prosecuted may be required to file as registered sex offenders, meaning that the stigma or lewd acts with a minor will follow them into every new community in which they live, and will undoubtedly lead to a diminished social life and an uncomfortable way of living, fearing threats of danger to their well being.

The Los Angeles lewd acts with a minor attorneys at Wallin & Klarich are well versed in laws pertaining to lewd acts with a minor and accusations of all kinds of sex crimes. Call us today at (877) 466-5245 for a free consultation. We will see to it that your rights are protected in a court of law, and that your innocence ultimately prevails.