Attorneys for Prep School Statutory Rapist Seek to Set Aside Computer Conviction

The defense attorney team for a former St. Paul’s School student who was convicted of statutory rape and other charges against a 15-year-old fellow student is now seeking to have a judge set aside the felony computer use conviction so that his client doesn’t have to register as a sex offender, according to a report in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Owen Labrie’s attorneys filed the brief in court this week to remove the conviction, which carries a possible seven-year sentence. At a press conference just after the verdict on Aug. 28, 2015, defense attorney J.W. Carney suggested that his team might challenge the conviction.

“The consequences of the felony conviction for the defendant are enormous,” the brief stated. “Although a literal construction (of the computer solicitation law) suggests that it applies to cases involving misdemeanor sexual assault, it is clear from the broader context of the criminal code that the Legislature did not intend for this result.”

Read the full report on unionleader.com.