(Telegraph.co.uk) - Experts have condemed the decision of the courts in North Carolina, to prosecute a 17-year-old boy for possessing nude pictures of himself.
Cormega Copening was 16 at the time that the photos were discovered, and he had to strike a plea deal to avoid potentially being registered as a sex offender and going to jail.
He was suspended as a quarterback in his football team, and was named and shamed in the media. He has also had to agree to be subject to warrantless searches by law enforcement for a year.
The teenager was charged as an adult under federal child pornography felony laws, for sexually exploiting a minor. The minor was himself.
His girlfriend, Brianna Denson, was also prosecuted for having naked pictures of herself on her phone. It was illegal for both of them to possess photos of themselves - but it would not be illegal for them to have sex, as she was also 16 at the time.
The age of consent in North Carolina is 16. The court cases were about "sexting", but the main charges against them were related to them taking and possessing photos of themselves, not of each other. Full Story
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