Q: Hi I’m 18 and my boyfriend is 37. Can my mother press charges even though I waited until I turned 18?
To get more specific, me and him dated for about a month when I was 16 ( no sexual contact at all). However my mother found out and he left far away. I just turned 18 about a month ago and I contacted him because I still have strong feelings for him and we started dating again. Can my mother still press charges??
A:
She could certainly try. It would be very tough for a prosecutor to engage in a case like this because of the difficulty in proving any contact. There may be some charges for corruption of a minor but that would be again very difficult for them to prove. Keeping in mind that pressing charges is a myth, and that the only person that can bring charges is the commonwealth.
It's impossible for me not to say a word about your relationship, which is questionable on so many levels. His being 20 years older than you is always going to raise eyebrows. Especially when he's almost 50 and you're in your mid-twenties. If your mom raises enough of a stink a prosecutor might get interested. And if he was a person in Authority in any way shape or form there might be charges that are appropriate
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A: It's a good question because you, the true "victim" are saying no contact and you are of age. She can file a complaint with the police but that's not going anywhere. However, with all due respect, the age difference suggests that he would have significant psychological and other "soft power" in the relationship--it's not one of equals--and there are potentials for that degree of power to lead to not good situations, not because of anyone being bad just because of the dynamics.
1 user found this answer helpful
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