Opinion ID: 844202
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Defendant Michael David Cornett sexually molested his two stepdaughters. He was convicted of seven felony sex offenses, including one count of oral copulation of Jane Doe 1 in violation of Penal Code2 section 288.7, subdivision (b).3 With respect to his conviction of violating section 288.7(b) as to Jane Doe 1, the trial court imposed, but stayed pursuant to section 654, a sentence of 50 years to life. Defendant claimed on appeal, among other things, that his section 288.7(b) conviction must be reversed and the count dismissed because Jane Doe 1 — who was 10 years and approximately 11 months old at the time of the molestation — was not “10 years of age or younger” within the meaning of section 288.7. The majority of the Court of Appeal panel agreed with defendant that victims who have passed their 10th birthday fall outside the scope of section 288.7. The Court 2 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated, and references to section 288.7, subdivision (b), shall be to section 288.7(b). 3 The jury also found true allegations that defendant was a habitual sexual offender (§ 667.71), that defendant committed offenses against more than one victim (§ 667.61, subd. (b)), and that defendant had been previously convicted of committing a lewd act upon a child in violation of section 288, subdivision (a), which constituted a prior strike conviction (§ 1170.12) and a prior serious felony conviction (§ 667, subd. (a)(1)). The trial court sentenced defendant to state prison for 10 years, plus three consecutive 50-year-to-life terms. 2 of Appeal dissent reasoned that common parlance and common sense supported the interpretation of section 288.7 as covering children until they reached their 11th birthday. We granted the People‟s petition for review.