Indecent Liberties with a Child in North Carolina
Indecent liberties with a child is a sex crime in North Carolina. There are many sex crimes in North Carolina that are punished very severely. Some of these crimes are well known, and some of these crimes, like many things in the law, are misunderstood. A term that is often thrown out there that is not necessarily fully understood, is “child molestation”. In North Carolina, child molestation is more of a term of art and not a real legal term. There is no statute for “child molestation” instead those activities are covered under Indecent liberties with a child.
In this Blog, we will cover indecent liberties with a child and provide some basic information about what that means. This blog is for informational purposes only and would be a poor substitute for the legal advice of a criminal defense lawyer.
What is indecent liberties with a child?
Taking indecent liberties with children is covered by North Caroline General Statute 14-202.1. Under this law, it makes it unlawful for someone to behave in an immoral, improper, or indecent manner with a child under the age of 16, for the purposes of sexual gratification if that person is 5 years or older than that child. Also covered under the statute is willfully committing or lewd or lascivious act on the body of a child under the age of 16.
What does this mean?
This can mean a large number of things, including what most people think about when they thing of the term child molestation. Just some of the things that can be considered indecent liberties with a child are:
- Fondling or touching of the genitalia in a sexual manner
- Pulling off a child’s clothes in a sexual manner
- French kissing a child
- Soliciting a child for sexual intercourse
Note: These and other related activities do not operate in a vacuum and can lead to additional charges such as statutory rape and forcible rape.
Punishment
Indecent liberties with a child is punished as a Class F felony and follows the North Carolina felony sentencing guidelines.
In addition to any prison or probation sentence that may be imposed, a person convicted of this crime would also be required to become a registered sex offender.
Indecent liberties with a child a very serious crime with very serious consequences. If you or a loved one has been charged with this crime, you should contact a criminal defense attorney immediately.
At Gilles Law, we handle this and other sex crimes. We also handle all North Carolina criminal defense issues, all South Carolina Criminal defense issues, and federal criminal defense, contact us.
