TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 7-year-old boy from upstate New York has been charged with rape, multiple news outlets have reported.
The Watertown Daily Times and WWNY-TV reported that the boy, who was not named, was charged by New York State Police with third-degree rape on March 23. The charge stems from an incident that was reported on Thanksgiving.
State police confirmed they were investigating the matter and that the child was only 7, according to the newspaper. No further details were revealed about the incident.
“Instinctually, it shouldn’t happen to a 7-year-old. I don’t think you could even realize what you’re doing at 7 years old, so I think it’s absurd to charge a 7-year-old with rape,” Anthony Martone, an attorney told WWNY-TV. “They’d have to prove he actually physically committed this act, which to me, it almost seems to be an impossibility.”
A bill pending in the New York legislature would change the minimum age for being charged as a juvenile delinquent from 7 to 12, according to WWNY.