Senate passes amended bill making it a crime to send a lewd image to another person unsolicited

WMUR                                                                                                                                    May 14, 2021

But as it now stands, the amendment “created a higher burden for prosecutors by removing ‘alarm’ and ‘annoy,'’’ said Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs of the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “The underlying bill was also problematic as it could be applied to conduct against children.

“Under the bill that passed today, a 50-year-old man could send a sexual image to a 12-year-old child and only be subject to a violation -- if a prosecutor could also prove that the intent of the actor was to harass the child,” Grady Sexton said.
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“However under current law,” she said, “this conduct would be charged as a felony without having to prove that the conduct was intended to harass the victim. We urge the House to request a committee of conference to review this amended bill and any unintended consequences it has on child sexual abuse cases.”

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