Amendment #847 to H4100

Rape of a Child under 14

Representatives Wong of Saugus and Jones of North Reading move to amend the bill by inserting after SECTION XX the following sections:–

“SECTION XX.  Chapter 265 of the General Laws as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 22A the following new sections:—

Section 22A 1/2. Whoever has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with a child under 14, and compels such child to submit by force and against his will or compels such child to submit by threat of bodily injury shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years but no less than 30 years. The sentence imposed on such person shall not be reduced to less than 30 years, or suspended, nor shall any person convicted under this section be eligible for probation, parole, work release or furlough or receive any deduction from his sentence for good conduct until he shall have served 30 years of such sentence. Prosecutions commenced under this section shall neither be continued without a finding, sealed, nor placed on file.

Whoever commits any offense described in this section while armed with a firearm, rifle, shotgun, machine gun or assault weapon shall be sentenced to the state prison for life or for any term of years, but not less than 45 years. Whoever over the age of 18 commits a second or subsequent such offense shall be sentenced to the state prison for life. The sentence imposed on such person shall not be reduced, or suspended, nor shall nay person convicted under this section be eligible for probation, parole, work release or furlough or receive any deduction from his sentence for good. Prosecutions commenced under this section shall neither be continued without a finding, sealed nor placed on file.

Section 22A 3/4. Whoever has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with a child under 14, and compels such child to submit by force and against his will or compels such child to submit by threat of bodily injury, and has been previously convicted of or adjudicated delinquent or as a youthful offender for: indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 as set forth in section 13B; aggravated indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 as set forth in section 13 ½; indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older as set forth in section 13H; assault of a child with intent to commit rape as set forth in section 24B; rape of a child with force as set forth in section 22A; aggravated rape of a child with force as set forth in section 23A; rape as set forth in section 22; or a like violation of the laws of another state, the United States or a military, territorial or Indian tribal authority, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life. The sentence imposed on such a person shall not be reduced or suspended, nor shall any person convicted under this section be eligible for probation, parole, work release or furlough or receive any deduction from his sentence for good conduct. Prosecutions commenced under this section shall neither be continued without a finding, sealed, nor placed on file.

In and prosecution commenced pursuant to this section, introduction into evidence of a prior adjudication or conviction or a prior finding of sufficient facts by either certified attested copies of original court papers, or certified attested copies of the defendant’s biographical and information data from records of the department of probation, any jail or house of correction or the department of correction, shall be prima facie evidence that the defendant before the court has been convicted previously by a court of the commonwealth or any other jurisdiction. Such documentation shall be self-authenticating and admissible, after the commonwealth has established the defendant’s guilt on the primary offense, as evidence in any court of the commonwealth to prove the defendant’s commission of any prior conviction described therein. The commonwealth shall not be required to introduce any additional corroborating evidence or live witness testimony to establish the validity of such prior conviction.”.