Houston Child Molestation Defense Attorney

Our news and social media are full of reports of minors being molested in one way or another, by adults who range from clergy to babysitters to relatives to coaches. Victims may be as young as an infant, or as old as a teenager just under the age of consent. The crimes are widely publicized and strongly condemned. Penalties for conviction are severe, with the most serious crimes classified as first-degree felonies.

Few crimes create as much public outrage as molestation. The outrage and increased awareness result in some good: children are more protected and molesters are more likely to be identified and caught. But it can also result in the community – including police, neighbors, and family members – becoming so sensitive to the possibility of molestation that they make a false accusation. That’s when legal representation is needed. Mary E. Conn is an experienced and well respected Houston molestation defense lawyer, she can help clear your reputation and build a strong defense.

How Our Houston Child Molestation Defense Attorney Can Help

Conviction of child molestation charges brings harsh penalties. For example, all forms of the offense of indecency with a child are felonies of either the second or third degree. Even acquittals won’t erase the stigma of the charge, and there will always be people who doubt your innocence.

The best time to get knowledgeable legal help is before you have been charged. An experienced Houston child molestation defense lawyer may be able to help you in many ways, from minimizing public condemnation to establishing your innocence.

If you have been, or think you may be, charged with molesting a child, call the Houston, Texas, attorneys of Mary E. Conn Law today. Mary E. Conn is a top-rated criminal defense attorney with more than 30 years of experience in successfully handling these cases. You can expect courtesy, two-way communications, and diligent work at all times. Contact our experienced Houston child molestation defense attorney today for your free consultation.

What is Indecency with a Child?

Many child molestation cases are charged as indecency with a child. That crime covers four basic types of sexual activity involving a child under the age of 17:

• Actual sexual contact with the child.
• Causing the child to have sexual contact
• Exposing any part of your genitals or your anus when you know the child is present.
• Causing the child to expose their genitals.

All four crimes require that the act was performed with the intent to “arouse or gratify” sexual desires.

The law specifically recognizes two “affirmative defenses” (admitting you performed the acts, but with a good excuse):

1. That the person committing the acts was no more than three years older than the victim, of the opposite sex, not a registered sex offender or guilty of various offenses, and used no force, threat, or duress to accomplish the act.
2. Was the child’s spouse when the offense occurred.

Failure to Report Abuse

Since the victims of child molestation are children, it’s sometimes impossible and frequently difficult for the child to report the crime. In most cases, though, there are adults in position to know or suspect that the child is being abused. Texas places a legal responsibility on those adults, especially professionals, to report abuse. In fact, the duty to report extends to cases in which there is “cause to believe” that someone who is now an adult was abused as a child, and disclosing that fact is required in order to protect another child.

Violation of the duty to report abuse is at least a misdemeanor, and can rise to a felony under some circumstances.

Defenses to Child Molestation Charges in Houston

Defenses to child molestation charges generally consist of one or more of the following:

• Denying that the sexual act ever occurred; this can include claims of active imaginations of very young victims or claims of deliberate fabrications by older victims.
• Claiming that if the act occurred, someone else committed it; child victims who don’t know their molester are particularly apt to misidentify.
• Claims that the prosecution simply failed to prove some essential element of the crime, such as intent to gratify sexual desires.
• Procedural challenges, such as claiming searches were illegal or that the prosecution violated the defendant’s right to a speedy trial.

If you need legal representation contact our Houston sex crime defense attorney, we can protect you and build a strong defense. Call or fill out a free online contact form today.