Tom Baldwin
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Genarlow Wilson was 17 years old, a bright, black student heading for college, when he was videoed at a New Year’s Eve party receiving consensual oral sex from a girl of 15.
Since then he has served more than two years in prison, part of a mandatory minimum ten-year sentence for an act which under Georgia state law at the time was regarded as “aggravated child molestation”.
Today a judge is expected to rule on the latest effort to quash the sentence. Supporters point out that if Wilson had had sexual intercourse with the girl, he would have fallen under Georgia’s “Romeo and Juliet” exception. Instead, the oral sex he engaged in four years ago fell into a legal loophole – since closed – designed to catch paedophile predators.
The case has been complicated by racial overtones in this part of the Deep South. The former president Jimmy Carter wrote to the state attorney-general last month complaining about the “disproportionate nature” of Wilson’s sentence.
“The racial dimension of the case is likewise hard to ignore,” he said, citing evidence that “white minor defendants in the same circumstances as Mr Wilson’s receive far lesser forms of punishment”.
The sentence has been denounced by the jury that convicted him, as well as the author of the 1995 legislation that put him behind bars.
“The law was designed to protect kids against really, really bad people doing very bad things,” Republican Matt Towery said. “It was never intended to put kids in jail for oral sex.”
After jurors learnt about the ten-year sentence, there was “mayhem in the jury room”, Marie Manigault, the forewoman said. “We were in tears. There was screaming.”
Prosecutors in Atlanta have argued that subsequent changes in the law cannot be applied retrospectively. They had offered him a plea bargain that would have reduced his sentence but left him on the sex offenders register.
Wilson has rejected such an option, saying in a prison interview: “When I see my name in the paper and I see aggravated child molestation, it’s kind of hard to cope with – I want to see my record cleared so I can go to school, so I can have a good life.”
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Fire the DA whose prosecuting this kid. Like the DA in Durham NC bring him up on wrongful prosecution charges, discriminatory practices, & more for appealing the case against this kid. He or she needs to be prosecuted themselves, & forced to retire or serve 2 years in prison. If this is the law why aren't all the kids in GA being prosecuted at age 15,16,17 for having consenual sex. The judge and court system needs to be investigated also.
FIRE THE D.A. and give this kid a couple of million bucks to get his college degree and live out this shame & degradation bought on him by the Georgia Court system.
Every Amnesty constituent, presidential candidate, NAACP member, Black Caucus member, Church pastor & congregation should be knocking at the governor of GA's door and getting rid of this DA like they got rid of Durham's DA Nifong. It's time up for playing with people's lives, this kid has dont nothing all the other kids aren't guilty of. Why not go out and arrest every youth with kid
Pastor Wanda Gipson, Charlotte, USA NC
Faith, Manassas, USA: "It is simple. Dont have sex with children. Wehn are men going to stop thinking that it is OK to screw a girl just because she has breasts? She is a child."
The age of consent in Denmark and France is 15, yet neither country has slid into the abyss. In Canada the age of consent is 14. Kids of that age are going to get some regardless of what the legal age is. It is more important to me as a parent that when it does happen, I know who they are with, where they are and above all that they are using protection.
Here's the interesting bit. The US has 53 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 births. Canada had 16 per 1,000 during the same period and the UK (age of consent 16) had 20 per 1,000. Your system isn't working Faith, and it is that simple.
Dan, Hampton, UK
Faith, Manassas, USA: "It is simple. Dont have sex with children. Wehn are men going to stop thinking that it is OK to screw a girl just because she has breasts? She is a child."
The age of consent in Denmark and France is 15, yet neither country has slid into the abyss. In Canada the age of consent is 14. Kids of that age are going to get some regardless of what the legal age is. It is more important to me as a parent that when it does happen, I know who they are with, where they are and above all that they are using protection.
Here's the interesting bit. The US has 53 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 births. Canada had 16 per 1,000 during the same period and the UK (age of consent 16) had 20 per 1,000. Your system isn't working Faith, and it is that simple.
Dan, Hampton, UK
It is simple. Dont have sex with children. Wehn are men going to stop thinking that it is OK to screw a girl just because she has breasts? She is a child.
Faith, Manassas, USA
Is it not 2007 in Georgia as well?
Dan, Hampton, UK
Phillip Walters - we were colonised by people who were so religiously uptight they were thrown out of two countries before getting here. We have a special way of trumpeting on about truth and justice and freedom - as long as no one is having any fun.
Dovid HaMelech, Phoenix AZ,
You have to understand that in Georgia, race was a factor, has always been a factor. Too many rednecks for equality in that state. I use to live in S.Carolina, same there for equality.
M. Nelson, MANHATTAN,
10 years for a BJ.. Only in America, the land of the free, home of the brave..... yeah right..
philip walters, rochester, uk