Date Rape

Only ten percent of rape cases are reported and often the court has a hard time believing the claims of victims. Sometimes, however testimonies stack up. A high-profile case that recently made headlines involves Republican activist Gregory Nathan Peterson.

The man has been charged with seven counts of rape, three counts of object rape, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, nine counts of forcible sexual abuse, forcible sodomy, assault, burglary and sexual battery. In total, Peterson faces 23 felonies and two misdemeanors. The rape and kidnapping charges Peterson faces are first degree felonies that carry sentences up to life in prison.

Peterson hosts GOP parties at Heber cabin, a place where two alleged assaults happened. In the words of a Salt Lake Tribune writer, "But for the past 14 months, the 37-year-old Orem man allegedly has led a double life as a serial date-rapist."

Date rape can often be a difficult charge to prove, as in this case, it does not involve someone grabbing a random girl and forcing himself onto her, it involves sexual intimacy with someone a defendant knows and with whom he had a level of mutual, romantic attraction.

Date rape is defined as: "when someone you know socially makes you have sex when you don't want to." Tactics involved in date rape can include physical or verbal threats, emotional blackmail, alcohol or drugs.

According to statistics, women between 15 and 24 are most susceptible to date rape. Date rape can include oral sex or some other kind of sex, not merely sexual intercourse. Also, if you agree to have sex with someone, but then want to stop, and they force you to keep going, this can be identified as date rape.

If you have been charged with date rape, this is a serious charge you should not take lightly. Penalties for rape can be many and harsh. However, you can likely prove that your accuser is lying or exaggerating or that she/he did not fully resist your advances. Get a criminal defense attorney on your side today to aggressively combat your charges!

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