George Zimmerman Facing Sexual Abuse Allegations
George Zimmerman has been accused of sexual abuse by a woman who claims the attacks took place over a 10 year period when she was just a child. The allegations were made on taped interviews released on Monday by prosecutors.
The potentially damaging video recordings were played out after Zimmerman's attorneys had attempted and failed to block their release. He denies all claims of sexual abuse.
According to the tapes the woman claims sexual abuse started when she was just six years old, and when Zimmerman himself was just eight years old. She alleges that the abuse continued over the next decade until she was 16 years old.
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The allegations are potentially damaging for 28 year old Zimmerman, who could face criminal charges for the incidents that allegedly happened more than 10 years ago. However, according to Reuters, whether he can be charged for those crimes or not will depend on the precise nature of the alleged abuse, and where they took place.
According to the woman's claims, Zimmerman sexually abused her when she and her sister would come over to the Zimmerman's family residence in Virginia to sleep over. However, she also claims that one other sexual abuse incident took place in Florida.
Virginia has no time limit for prosecutors to charge a person involved in sexual abuse, and so the alleged abuse claims that took place there could see Zimmerman be charged even now. However, the incident in Florida, where the woman claims she was 16 years of age, and Zimmerman was 18, must be charged within four or three years, respectively, of a child victim turning 18. In Florida Zimmerman would be charged with a first- or second-degree felony depending on the details of the alleged attack, however, it appears as though the prosecution is too late to bring charges on that claim, according to the laws of the state.
In Zimmerman's case prosecutors have not made their intentions fully known about how they plan to use the allegations against him, and Zimmerman for the moment has not been charged with any sexual abuse crimes. He denies the claims of sexual abuse.
