Romeo and Juliet: a story of love and sexual offence against a minor
Our story begins in the city of Montreal, in 2016 A.D.
Juliet, then 13 years old, falls in love with Romeo, 18 years old. As their love story begins and is approved, in a rare instance, by their respective families, their destiny is not a path to happiness. Their honeymoon was short, and the tragic end of their love affair stirred the population. Romeo was convicted by the courts and his name is now registered in the National Sex Offender Registry. In this tragic story, love couldn’t circumvent the law.
A clear Criminal Code for sexual offences involving minors
In the Canadian Criminal Code, sexual offences are very complex and many people are unaware of the circumstances that can lead to a charge in this area. In the case of our Romeo and Juliet, the essential element of the offence in question is the age gap between our lovebirds.
The implications if Romeo or Juliet is 12 or 13 years old
In effect, the Criminal Code is clear: a person aged 12 or 13, as in our story, cannot have an intimate relationship with a person if he or she is 2 or more years older. Nor can he or she maintain a relationship with a person who has some form of authority over him or her.
And if one of the lovebirds is a minor of 14 or 15 years of age
Similarly, if a person is 14 or 15 years old, he or she cannot have an intimate relationship with a person if said person is 5 or more years older. As in the previous case, she cannot have a relationship with a person who has some form of authority over her.
Avoid being involved in a sexual offence against a minor
As our story shows, there are serious consequences to contravening these Criminal Code rules. So, no matter how much love you feel, no matter how much passion you have, having sexual contact of any kind with a younger person can put you in an undesirable situation. You will be at risk of being found guilty of a criminal offence of a sexual nature. To this end, the involvement of a lawyer in a sexual offence is essential.
So, although several centuries have passed since the original story of Romeo and Juliet, time reminds us of one thing: history always repeats itself. If necessary, contact us to allow us to rewrite your happy ending.
