The article, “Man Sentenced in Sex Case,” on Nov. 8 reported the results from a court case regarding a man charged with the possession of sexually explicit materials of children under the age of 16.

While this article properly reported the results of the case, it gave no sense of how the man came to possess the material, nor was any attempt made to give background information on the case.

This man says he unwittingly came into possession of the material through the use of LimeWire, a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. The files were mislabeled, and he received the vile material in question instead of the content he was seeking.

Authorities gained knowledge of this material through Internet records, and the man was arrested. The law regarding this type of material does not require intent of possession; it merely requires possession.

This sentencing is emblematic of the times. Technology has evolved, outpacing the evolution of laws and civil standards to meet the rigors of the times.

The law is meant to protect the victim, the community and society as a whole, but laws operate on theory, and life is not as easily codified. Is the law doing what it can to protect the victim, or, perhaps, is the law creating more victims and doing more harm than good? It is time that the law be introduced to the 21st century.

Gabriel Levesque

Mount Vernon

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