Four teenage girls in South Carolina were recently arrested and charged for recording and sharing a video of a sexual assault. They are facing child pornography possession charges as a result of having this video on their cell phones and sharing it with others. Another teen was also arrested and is facing a criminal sexual conduct charge as a result of this incident.
According to reports, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at a party where she had supposedly become intoxicated. A fellow classmate reportedly streamed the assault live on FaceTime to another girl, who is said to have recorded the video feed. That video was then shared with students at the girls’ middle school.
A total of 60 students are being interviewed by police, five of whom could face prison time for their alleged involvements. Even though those involved in this incident are minors, the charges in this case are quite serious and are not going to be taken lightly in court. At this time, court dates for each of the accused have not been reported.
Sexual assault and child pornography charges can carry significant penalties in South Carolina, even for minors. These include jail/prison time, fines, court-ordered rehabilitation and registration on the Sex Offender Registry — among others. Each of the accused individuals has the right to employ a criminal defense to assist them throughout their criminal proceedings. With the assistance of counsel, each of these young individuals can work to achieve outcomes that will benefit them now and in the future — either by fighting the charges in order to seek case dismissals or by seeking plea agreements in hopes of achieving lighter sentencing.
Source: breitbart.com, “Teens Charged With Child Porn After Filming Sexual Assault“, Bob Price, May 19, 2016