Sexual offences against minors

Although crime rates are down in general, sexual offences against minors are on the increase. Because of the proliferation of the Internet, new crimes now exist. Conviction for a sexual offence against minors carries a particularly egregious societal stigma and condemnation. In fact, these types of charges are amongst the most devastating a person can face.

Allegations of sexual offences against minors, such as the possession or distribution of child pornography, can threaten your entire life. Not only are the potential criminal penalties severe, but these allegations can also damage your reputation amongst friends, family members and co-workers. Your access to the internet and even your ability to see your own children may be in jeopardy.

Child Pornography Charges

Child pornography charges may involve the possession, distribution, production, or promotion of any obscene pictures or video involving minors engaging in sexually explicit content. This could range from cases involving two or three photographs to thousands of online photos. A person who is 21 and takes a naked picture of a 16-year-old boyfriend or girlfriend could also face these charges. Furthermore, recent amendments to the Criminal Code have introduced mandatory minimum jail sentences for such offences.

In many cases, child pornography charges stem from police sting operations where web sites are monitored by law enforcement. Police will generally seize the computer of the accused to view the files and sites that have been accessed. They will work with computer experts to determine how the files were accessed, who accessed them, and whether there was really an intent to commit a crime.

It is a criminal offence (often punishable by severe prison terms) to make, distribute, possess or even access child pornography. But what exactly is child pornography?

Essentially four types of child pornography exist. Child pornography can be:

a visual representation, for example, a video, which shows a person who is or is depicted as being under the age of eighteen years and is engaged in or is depicted as engaged in explicit sexual activity, or, where the dominant characteristic of which is the depiction, for a sexual purpose, of a sexual organ or the anal region of a person under the age of eighteen years;
written material, visual representation or audio recording that advocates or counsels sexual activity with a person under the age of eighteen years that would be an offence under the Criminal Code;
written material whose dominant characteristic is the description, for a sexual purpose, of sexual activity with a person under the age of eighteen years that would be an offence under the Criminal Code; or
an audio recording that has as its dominant characteristic the description, presentation or representation, for a sexual purpose, of sexual activity with a person under the age of eighteen years that would be an offence under the Criminal Code

Other Sexual Offences Involving Minors

In addition to child pornography, there are several other sexual offences involving minors. Below is a short summary of some of them.

Sexual interference
Sexual interference is touching, for a sexual purpose, any part of the body of a person under the age of 16.

Invitation to sexual touching
Invitation to sexual touching is the inviting, counselling, or inciting a person, under the age of 16, to touch, the body of any person.

Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation can summarily be explained as someone who is in a position of trust or authority towards a young person, who sexually interferes or invites to sexual touch a young person.

Luring a child
Luring a child is telecommunication with a person under the age of 18 for the purpose of committing a sexual offence.
Sexual interference, Invitation to sexual touching, Sexual exploitation, and Child luring carry in the least serious cases, an obligatory minimum prison sentence of 90 days, and in more serious cases, a prison term that can be for many years.

What Steven Slimovitch Can Offer You

When you or someone you know has been charged with an offence of this nature, it is important to retain the services of an experienced criminal defence lawyer as soon as possible. Steven Slimovitch is dedicated to confidentiality and professionalism and is capable of navigating the complexities of such cases. He is adept at mounting a defence in every available way that can include attacks on the legality of search warrants among others. Where a client admits to being involved in a sexual offence involving minors, he works with the best and most experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors who assist his clients in diagnosing and treating paedophilia. Often, this expertise and his attention to every detail, is the difference between a crippling prison sentence, and a genuine opportunity for rehabilitation. Steven Slimovitch will defend your rights and protect your interests after being investigated for, or arrested on, sex related offences against minors. He understands that these charges essentially put life as you knew it, on the line. Steven Slimovitch is a highly skilled and experienced criminal defence lawyer with a very impressive track record in this area. He has defended many people accused of sexual offences against minors and has successfully supported them throughout the legal process and enabled them to get their lives back on track.