Colorado sees rise in new type of sex crime

On behalf of David Lindsey, Attorney at Law posted in Sex Crimes on Friday, September 30, 2011.

According to authorities, a relatively new type of sex crime seems to be on the rise in the Denver area: upskirting, or taking pictures up women’s garments without their knowledge or consent.

Perpetrators of this sex crime may believe that it is harmless and that no one is getting hurt. While it is true there are no apparent physical effects, there are emotional wounds and of course, those can cut very deep. Interestingly enough, a clinical therapist who has been working in Colorado for 16 years recently said she believes that the act can lead to the perpetration of worse sexual crimes. She insists that the crime is as serious as sexual assault.

Neither the therapist nor a national victim’s rights group could provide statistics for the crime in Colorado. This is because it is perpetrated very furtively. Many individuals have gotten away with upskirting without the victim ever knowing and most have done so more than once. Some convicted offenders have said that they have performed the act more than 100 times. With the advent of modern technology, many of these images can easily end up on the Internet. Some are saying that because of cell phone cameras, the act is being perpetrated more often.

One man in Littleton, Colorado who was suspected of upskirting recently admitted to the crime in court. He had been going to local grocery stores for two to three months and taking intimate and unknown photographs of women with his cell phone camera. Security officials managed to observe the acts on camera. Situations such as this show that, in many cases, upskirters are not usually caught on their first attempt. When the thrill diminishes, many of these offenders turn to worse sex crimes.

Once again, people who perpetrate this act may think they are not doing anything wrong. But of course, they are and might find themselves in a lot of hot water if they are caught. In circumstances like that, the services of a criminal defense attorney may prove very valuable.

Source: KUSA-TV, “Upskirting cases on the rise,” Lori Obert and Jeremy Jojola, Sept. 16, 2011