Kansas bill says child can't be 'aggressor' in abuse cases

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers approved a bill designed to prevent judges from lowering sentences for child sex offenders if they think the victims were willing participants in the crime.

The state Senate gave its approval Wednesday to the measure, which was introduced after a Leavenworth County judge in February lowered the sentence of 67-year-old Raymond Soden because he thought the 13- and 14-year-old girls that Soden contacted over the internet were aggressors.

"I do find that the victims in this case, in particular, were more an aggressor than a participant in the criminal conduct," Judge Michael Gibbons said before sentencing Soden. "They were certainly selling things monetarily that it's against the law for even an adult to sell."

Current state law gives judges discretion in sentencing when there are "substantial or compelling" reasons, including if the victim was an aggressor or participant.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/kansas-bill-says-child-can-t-be-aggressor-in-abuse-cases/509396292/