Opinion ID: 2105878
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Oral statement by victim's father at sentencing hearing.

Text: 1. At the sentencing hearing, Phillips' counsel objected to the trial court's allowance of the victim's father's oral statement. We note that Iowa Code chapter 901 provides statutory authority for allowing such a statement. Section 901.2 provides in part: Upon a plea of guilty, a verdict of guilty, or a special verdict upon which a judgment of conviction of a public offense may be rendered, the court shall receive from the state, from the judicial district department of correctional services, and from the defendant any information which may be offered which is relevant to the question of sentencing. The court may consider information from other sources. (Emphasis added.) In addition, section 901.5 provides in part: After receiving and examining all pertinent information, including the presentence investigation report and victim impact statements, if any, the court shall consider the ... sentencing options. (Emphasis added.) [3] We believe that information from other sources and all pertinent information encompass and authorize the oral statement made by the victim's father at the sentencing hearing. Moreover, Phillips points to no violation of a specific constitutional provision; the oral statement merely repeated information contained in written material already provided to both the court and defendant Phillips, who was present with counsel at the hearing. 2. Although defendant Phillips did not object to the substance of the victim's father's remarks, he now argues on appeal that the trial court improperly relied on the oral statement, specifically the references to sexual predators and to Phillips' providing alcohol to the victim, in sentencing Phillips. However, the record contains other evidence that Phillips supplied the alcohol consumed by the victim and that he engaged in a sex act with the victim. There is no indication that the trial court gave added weight to the victim's father's references. In giving its reasons for the sentence imposed on Phillips, the trial court pointed to the following: The nature of the offense, the victim's age and vulnerability, a sentence other than confinement depreciates the seriousness of the crime, the [d]efendant's need for rehabilitation, the [d]efendant's need for sex offender treatment and sobriety, and the sentence will hopefully hold the [d]efendant accountable and act as a deterrent for future offenses by this [d]efendant and others. We discern no reliance on improper factors here, and thus conclude that the trial court did not err in allowing the oral statement by the victim's father. C. Consideration of an unproven offense in sentencing Phillips. Defendant Phillips maintains that the victim's father's oral statement at the sentencing hearing led the trial court to rely on unproven offenses, such as providing alcoholic beverages to a minor, see Iowa Code § 123.47, and the forcible felony sexual abuse offense defined in Iowa Code section 709.4(1). We do not agree. As discussed in Division III-B, there is no indication that the trial court relied on any improper factors in reaching its sentencing decision. We find no error here. IV. Disposition. We have considered other arguments raised by the defendant and find no merit in them. We affirm the sentence imposed on defendant Phillips by the trial court. AFFIRMED.