Texas Penal Code

Sec. § 21.02
Continuous Sexual Abuse of Young Child or Children

(a)

In this section, “child” has the meaning assigned by Section 22.011 (Sexual Assault)(c).

(b)

A person commits an offense if:

(1)

during a period that is 30 or more days in duration, the person commits two or more acts of sexual abuse, regardless of whether the acts of sexual abuse are committed against one or more victims; and

(2)

at the time of the commission of each of the acts of sexual abuse, the actor is 17 years of age or older and the victim is a child younger than 14 years of age, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the victim at the time of the offense.

(c)

For purposes of this section, “act of sexual abuse” means any act that is a violation of one or more of the following penal laws:

(1)

aggravated kidnapping under Section 20.04 (Aggravated Kidnapping)(a)(4), if the actor committed the offense with the intent to violate or abuse the victim sexually;

(2)

indecency with a child under Section 21.11 (Indecency With a Child)(a)(1), if the actor committed the offense in a manner other than by touching, including touching through clothing, the breast of a child;

(3)

sexual assault under Section 22.011 (Sexual Assault);

(4)

aggravated sexual assault under Section 22.021 (Aggravated Sexual Assault);

(5)

burglary under Section 30.02 (Burglary), if the offense is punishable under Subsection (d) of that section and the actor committed the offense with the intent to commit an offense listed in Subdivisions (1)-(4);

(6)

sexual performance by a child under Section 43.25 (Sexual Performance by a Child);

(7)

trafficking of persons under Section 20A.02 (Trafficking of Persons)(a)(7) or (8); and

(8)

compelling prostitution under Section 43.05 (Compelling Prostitution)(a)(2).

(d)

If a jury is the trier of fact, members of the jury are not required to agree unanimously on which specific acts of sexual abuse were committed by the defendant or the exact date when those acts were committed. The jury must agree unanimously that the defendant, during a period that is 30 or more days in duration, committed two or more acts of sexual abuse.

(e)

A defendant may not be convicted in the same criminal action of an offense listed under Subsection (c) the victim of which is the same victim as a victim of the offense alleged under Subsection (b) unless the offense listed in Subsection (c):

(1)

is charged in the alternative;

(2)

occurred outside the period in which the offense alleged under Subsection (b) was committed; or

(3)

is considered by the trier of fact to be a lesser included offense of the offense alleged under Subsection (b).

(f)

A defendant may not be charged with more than one count under Subsection (b) if all of the specific acts of sexual abuse that are alleged to have been committed are alleged to have been committed against a single victim.

(g)

It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the actor:

(1)

was not more than five years older than:

(A)

the victim of the offense, if the offense is alleged to have been committed against only one victim; or

(B)

the youngest victim of the offense, if the offense is alleged to have been committed against more than one victim;

(2)

did not use duress, force, or a threat against a victim at the time of the commission of any of the acts of sexual abuse alleged as an element of the offense; and

(3)

at the time of the commission of any of the acts of sexual abuse alleged as an element of the offense:

(A)

was not required under Chapter 62 (Sex Offender Registration Program), Code of Criminal Procedure, to register for life as a sex offender; or

(B)

was not a person who under Chapter 62 had a reportable conviction or adjudication for an offense under this section or an act of sexual abuse as described by Subsection (c).

(h)

An offense under this section is a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life, or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 25 years.
Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 593 (H.B. 8), Sec. 1.17, eff. September 1, 2007.
Amended by:
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 24), Sec. 6.04, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 31, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1038 (H.B. 1808), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.
Source

Last accessed
Jun. 7, 2021

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