The fact that the alleged victim consented, looked older than 16, or perhaps even lied about his/her age is not a defense. Conviction for this offense carries up to 50 years
imprisonment and requires the offender to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 15 years.
These laws were passed at a time when our Legislature felt it was appropriate to protect young women from older, predatory men. Do you feel
this law is still necessary? Should this crime continue to be a strict liability offense? What changes, if any, would you make to this law to bring it
more in line with our times?