Posted on 11/22/2005 11:59:01 AM PST by Nachum
TAMPA - Before she could plead not guilty by reason of insanity to charges she committed lewd or lascivious battery on a teenager, Debra Lafave pleaded guilty.
But, she will not go to prison.
The former Greco Middle School teacher, accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy, came to a plea agreement with prosecutors Tuesday.
As part of the agreement, Lafave, 25, will serve three years community control (house arrest), and seven years probation.
The judge said Lafave could have been sentenced to decades in state prison.
"I accept full responsibility for my actions," Lafave told the court.
Prosecutor Mike Sinacore said the victim's family wanted the case to come to a rapid resolution because of intense attention in the news media.
Although Debra Lafave's plea agreement is generous, her life will change dramatically.
She will be classified as a sexual offender, and must register in the state's law enforcement database. The Florida Department of Education Department will revoke her teaching certificate.
According to police records, Lafave performed oral sex on the unnamed boy June 3, 2004. Eleven days later Lafave had sexual intercourse with the boy in a portable classroom at Greco Middle School, police reports said.
School district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said Lafave was not teaching summer school and does not know why she was on campus the day of the incident.
Lafave was arrested June 21, 2004.
Her trial was scheduled to begin Dec. 5.
Lafave's attorney, John Fitzgibbons, had suggested his client would plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
Previously, Fitzgibbons told news reporters Debra Lafave was, essentially, too pretty for prison.
This "lady" got off lucky.
if only, when I was 14........
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Teacher's Pet I Wanna Be Teacher's Pet I Wanna Be Huddled And Cuddled As Close To You As I Can Get Teacher's Pride I Wanna Be Teacher's Pride I Wanna Be Dated Graded The One Most Likely At Your Side I Wanna Learn All Your Lips Can Teach Me One Kiss Will Do At The Start I’m Sure With A Little Homework I'll Ride My Way To Your Heart Teacher's Pet I Wanna Be Teacher's Pet I Wanna Take Homm-a Deploma And Show 'Em That You Love Me Too So I Can Be Teacher's Pet Long After School Is Through |
Switch the roles. If this were a male teacher who had sex with a 14 year old girl would the outcome be the same?
If so, then what good are laws?
There's a certain type of girl you marry, and there's a certain type of girl you don't. To bad her husband found out too late.
Owl_Eagle(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
The outcome wouldn't be the same and shouldn't.
There is a widely accepted public policy position that female sexuality should be guarded more closely than male sexuality.
That this public policy position is not shared by everyone doesn't undermine that it has been shared by most people as far back as anybody can remember.
Those who say that this is a double standard are wrong: a double standard is two different standards for the same thing. This is two different standards for two different things.
I have to revise my sarcastic post. Upon further thought, if I'd have had sex with a 14 year old girl I'd be doing 25 years right now.
I respect your point, but you leave out the issue that this woman was in a position of authority which she abused. That negates any special treatment of 'protection of female sexuality' as far as I can see it. Just because I have a wee-wee and she doesn't, means men should be discriminated against in these matters?
......and a certain type that you google the heck out of.
A very good point. I guess in my opinion laws should be viewed as absolutes. If statutory rape, say under 16, by an adult is against the law, the law should be for both male and female. Seems to be every week we hear about another union teacher "getting 0ff" with a slap on the wrist.
I'd put her away for at least ten years, but maybe that's just my misogyny showing through...
NOW, NAG, and other lesbian groups must be happy that another one of their sisters doesn't need to follow the laws...
If rape is defined as intercourse between two non-consenting parties, then does it matter what the threat or intimidation was to force the victim into the act?
If not, then there should not be a male/female difference.
I am not saying women and men should be treated the same in all matters, they should not. What if the woman raping the boy used blackmail or something similar to enforce the act, would that be different than a male raping a female using the same type of coercion, blackmail? Then we can leave out the physical differences that otherwise would play into a forced rape, where the male because of superior physical strenth needs no other means....
I asked my husband his opinion on this and he claims its not a double standard just the "male" standard.
He says that if our son had a chance to have sex with that good looking of a teacher at 14, He would be giving our son high fives!!!
on the other hand, if a good looking male teacher had sex with daughter at 14 he would, "kill the sonvabitch"
so see the double standard stand inside or outside of court.
Funny, if this happened to my son, I'd do everything in my power to see that the C teacher never sees the light of day again!
DIFFERENT LAWS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE? KARL AND JOSEF LOVES YOU!
I don't think anyone suggested the boy in this case didn't consent. Your emphasis on that detail in this case is misplaced.
Sex with a minor is statutory rape, however. Even the younger party's express consent isn't a defense, since there is a public policy decision that minors are incapable of meaningful consent.
In the example you give, the person would be guilty of blackmail on top of any sexual crime involved. Whether a person is male or female, they are still blackmailing - which may be illegal. That doesn't address the public policy concern I originally raised, though.
Not different laws for different people, but different laws for different situations. It clearly isn't a double standard, as I said. It's two different standards for two different things because, among other things, our culture decided to protect women's sexuality more than male's sexuality.
One reason, of course, is the different consequences of sex by the sexes. A woman bears a burden that a man doesn't bear: pregnancy.
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