When Personal Relationships Lead to Criminal Charges – What You Need to Know about Dating and Child Pornography

If you’ve been accused of a computer sex crime, you need a child pornography lawyer.

Child pornography is a serious offense with harsh penalties. Most people accused of crimes related to child porn end up in their situation for one of two reasons:

• They intentionally sought out the material
• They unintentionally came into contact with it

But did you know there’s another way you could face accusations of a crime related to this type of content that occurs partially on purpose and partially unintentionally?

This is the case when someone is underage or involved in a legal relationship with someone under the age of consent but illegally sends or receives pornographic images.

What should young people know about dating and child pornography laws?

What is Child Pornography?

Child pornography is defined as any visual depiction of a minor under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity or nudity. This includes:

• Real images
• Photos
• Computer-generated images
• Drawings

Possession of Child Pornography

It is a crime to possess, receive, or distribute child pornography. Even if you did not create the images, simply possessing it can result in serious criminal charges. Possessing just one image of child pornography can lead to 20 years in prison.

Charges can arise for a variety of reasons.

For example, you download images from the internet onto your computer. Or you share images of child pornography with someone else. Or you receive images directly from someone.

This is the case whether or not your interaction with the subject of the material is legal or not. You could be a 16-year-old dating another 16-year-old. It could be illegal for the two of you to share illicit images, even if it’s consensual.

Defenses

If you are facing child pornography charges, several potential defenses may apply to your case.

For example, if you did not know that the person in the images was under 18 years old, you could use that as a defense.

Additionally, if you were entrapped by law enforcement officers posing as minors online, you may also have a defense to the charges.

An experienced criminal defense attorney can help evaluate your case and determine which defenses may apply.

Child pornography is a serious offense with harsh penalties. If you are facing child pornography charges, it is important to understand the laws and possible defenses. An experienced criminal defense attorney can help you navigate the criminal justice system. They’ll fight for the best possible outcome in your case.

If you or your child has been accused of a crime related to illegal pornography, you need an experienced child pornography lawyer. Contact David Lindsey for a free consultation.