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A 17-YEAR-OLD American male is being prosecuted by his state for possessing naked photos on his phone – of himself.
The boy in question, Cormega Copening, is being named as both the accused and victim in the highly unusual case – as he was only 16 at the time the photos were taken. In effect he stood accused of committing a sexual offence against himself.
The case first came to light as a result of a clampdown on the sharing of sexual images without the subject’s consent in the boy’s high school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, according to a report in the Fayetteville Observer.
His phone was investigated by police as a part of that clampdown, and though he was found blameless as part of that inquiry, he has ended up being prosecuted separately with four counts of quite literally exploiting himself.
Both Copening and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Brianna Denson, with whom he had been exchanging the selfies, have taken plea deals to prevent themselves going to prison and having to register as sex offenders.
“You’re talking about millions of kids being charged with child pornography,” Jeff Temple of the University of Texas Medical Branch told the Fayetteville Observer with regard to these standards being applied across the US.
Our resources should be more on education and not on punishment with this type of sexting, more education with respect to actual sexual behavior, and more importantly – I can’t say this enough – is more information on healthy relationships and what healthy relationships look like with adolescents.
Ironically, if the couple had been found actually having sex they would have committed no crime, as consensual sex between 16-year-olds in North Carolina is not an offence, but possessing sexual images of a minor is.
The plea bargains Copening and Denson took are also quite draconian, with both teens surrendering their phones for one year and having to take courses on good decision-making as well as performing community service.
The couple may also be subject to warrantless searches for the next year.
Assuming they stay out of trouble for that year their records will be wiped clean.
Copening was the starting quarter back for his school’s American Football team, a position he lost in the aftermath of criminal charges being made against him.
He has since been re-instated in the team.
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Christ that’s depressing. We need to start protecting our world. Starting with our plastic consumption.
@john Appleseed: only 20% of plastic we put in our recycle bins is actually recycled. 30% ends up in waste. Caught every direction!
@john Appleseed: they really should start with Irish supermarkets where almost every single fruit or vegetable is wrapped in plastic. I don’t see it at that level in any other European country.
Ban plastics
Dolphins use earths magnetic fields to navigate so perhaps that’s changing -
@Denise: It is interesting as it’s now known our iron core is moving and will change. However if that was the case all of them would be on the beaches rather than a few. They’re intelligent animals who communicate so there has to be another reason. If their sonar/hearing has been damaged by something it would point to a cause. I doubt if we have a way yet of doing that type of post mortem.
Why don’t they go back to Wales, where they belong?
@Paul Culligan: Is there a rugby match imminent or something
Do they want Irish passports too?
@Jonathan Nolan: change the record
@john Appleseed: Vivaldi or the Smashing Pumpkins?
Submarine activity around our coast
This is worrying news.
@Blind Faith: https://youtu.be/sq2V6cGYgzw
I only keep the small ones, I throw the big ones back in. Maybe I need a bigger pan.
Not enough social housing.
I blame Leo and FG.
You see loads at mc Donald’s
If you want to do something about plastic pollution create open data on litter anywhere @ openlittermap.com – it’s like Pokémon go for tidy towns!
Has Danny Healy-Rae TD been asked for a statement?
It is now a scientific fact that 10 rivers in asia our introducing 60% of the pollutants into our oceans, how bloody hard can it be to stop it
I wonder how many were died as a result of being caught in Super Trawler nets.
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