<section number="76-5-401"><effdate>5/7/2025</effdate><histories><history>Amended by Chapter <modchap sess="2025GS">291</modchap>, 2025 General Session</history><modyear>2025</modyear></histories><catchline>Unlawful sexual activity with a minor -- Penalties -- Evidence of age raised by defendant -- Limitations.</catchline><subsection number="76-5-401(1)"><subsection number="76-5-401(1)(a)">As used in this section, "minor" means an individual who is 14 years old or older, but younger than 16 years old, at the time the sexual activity described in Subsection (2) occurred.</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(1)(b)">Terms defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="76-1-101.5">76-1-101.5</xref> apply to this section.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(2)"><subsection number="76-5-401(2)(a)">Under circumstances not amounting to an offense listed in Subsection (4), an actor 18 years old or older commits unlawful sexual activity with a minor if the actor:<subsection number="76-5-401(2)(a)(i)">has sexual intercourse with the minor;</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(2)(a)(ii)">engages in any sexual act with the minor involving the genitals of an individual and the mouth or anus of another individual; or</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(2)(a)(iii)">causes the penetration, however slight, of the genital or anal opening of the minor by a foreign object, substance, instrument, or device, including a part of the human body, with the intent to cause substantial emotional or bodily pain to any individual or with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any individual.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(2)(b)">Any touching, however slight, is sufficient to constitute the relevant element of a violation of Subsection (2)(a)(ii).</subsection></subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(3)"><subsection number="76-5-401(3)(a)">A violation of Subsection (2) is a third degree felony.</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(3)(b)">Notwithstanding Subsection (3)(a) or (c), a violation of Subsection <xref tempid="288" depth="4" refnumber="76-5-401(2)">(2)</xref> is a class B misdemeanor if the defendant establishes by a preponderance of the evidence the mitigating factor that:<subsection number="76-5-401(3)(b)(i)"> the defendant is less than four years older than the minor at the time the sexual activity occurred; or</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(3)(b)(ii)">the defendant is 18 years old and enrolled in high school at the time the sexual activity occurred.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(3)(c)">Notwithstanding Subsection (3)(a), if the defendant establishes by a preponderance of the evidence the mitigating factor that the defendant was younger than 21 years old at the time the sexual activity occurred, the offense is a class A misdemeanor.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(4)">The offenses referred to in Subsection (2)(a) are:<subsection number="76-5-401(4)(a)">rape, in violation of Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="76-5-402">76-5-402</xref>;</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(4)(b)">object rape, in violation of Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="76-5-402.2">76-5-402.2</xref>;</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(4)(c)">forcible sodomy, in violation of Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="76-5-403">76-5-403</xref>;</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(4)(d)">aggravated sexual assault, in violation of Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="76-5-405">76-5-405</xref>; or</subsection><subsection number="76-5-401(4)(e)">an attempt to commit an offense listed in Subsections (4)(a) through (4)(d).</subsection></subsection></section>