Sexual assault is a violent crime, not a sexual one. The assailant uses sex to inflict violence and humiliation on the victim, or to exert power and control over the victim. Offenders may be strangers to their victims. More often, however, the offender is known to the victim. Indeed, the sexual offender may be an acquaintance, partner, spouse, or other family member.
Rape is no longer a legal term in New Hampshire.
It is considered to be a felony punishable by up to 10 to 20 years in the state prison. A person is also guilty of Aggravated Felonious Sexual Assault without penetration when he or she touches the genitalia of a person under the age of 13 for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal. The legal age of consent in New Hampshire is 16. Felonious Sexual Assault also includes sexual contact, short of penetration, which causes serious personal injury and sexual contact with a person under 13 years of age. It is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in the House of Corrections.