Court Opinion

ID: 9641610
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:36:07.436046+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:38.712417
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, dissenting. Anomaly or not, carnal abuse in the first degree is established by proof of the same or less than all the elements required to establish the commission of rape as defined in Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1803 (l)(c) (Supp. 1985). In order to provide a quick comparison the statutes involved are set out below. Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-105 (Repl. 1977): (2) A defendant may be convicted of one offense included in another offense with which he is charged. An offense is so included if: (a) it is established by proof of the same or less than all the elements required to establish the commission of the offense charged; .... Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1803 (Supp. 1985): (1) Rape. A person commits rape if he engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person: (c) who is less than fourteen years of age. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this Section that the actor was not more than two years older than the victim. Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1804 (Repl. 1977): A person commits carnal abuse in the first degree if being eighteen years old or older, he engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person not his spouse who is less than fourteen years old. It can be clearly seen from the above statutes that carnal abuse in the first degree and rape as charged herein may be committed upon the exact same facts. The evidence clearly shows the appellant to be over the age of 18 and the victim to be under the age of 14. Since the facts of this case clearly establish either and/or both offenses, the appellant was entitled to have the jury instructed on both. We have many times held that an offense is included in another if it is established by proof of the same or less than all the elements required to establish the commission of the other offense. Akins v. State, 278 Ark. 180, 644 S.W.2d 273 (1983); Rowe v. State, 275 Ark. 37, 627 S.W.2d 16 (1982); Swaite v. State, 272 Ark. 128, 612 S.W.2d 307 (1981). I would reverse and remand because the court refused to give the instruction on carnal abuse in the first degree.