State v. Elton
Utah Supreme Court
680 P.2d 727 (1984)
Relevant factsFree
Elton (defendant), a 19-year-old, had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl who, he claimed, told him she was 18. Convicted of felony statutory rape after the trial court treated the crime as strict liability and barred him from testifying about his belief regarding her age, Elton's conviction was initially affirmed, but the Utah Supreme Court granted rehearing to reconsider whether the crime truly imposed strict liability.
IssueFree
Whether the crime of statutory rape requires proof that the defendant was at least criminally negligent as to the age of the victim, rather than being a strict-liability offense.