“I am favor of doing whatever we can reasonably do to take sexual predators off of the streets and thus prevent them from hurting more children. As a parent, I am relieved that we are passing this legislation,” said Senator Fasano.

The legislation, SB 1458, An Act Concerning Jessica’s Law, creates a new crime of aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than 13-years old. Conviction of a first offense calls for imposing a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 25 years, while a subsequent conviction calls for imposing a mandatory minimum sentence of 50 years. This new charge can be triggered under certain circumstances, such as if there was more than one child victim, if the victim was kidnapped or stalked, if violence was used, if serious physical injury or disfigurement resulted, if the victim was unknown to the attacker, or if the perpetrator had prior arrest for violent sexual assault.

Also, the legislation calls for imposing five and 10-year mandatory minimum sentences on those convicted of using the internet to entice a child younger than 12 into sexual contact, and it creates mandatory sentences for several child pornography crimes.

“Passing this bill is important to the safety of our children, and the peace of mind of their families. It is now pending further action by the House of Representatives, and I am optimistic that our version of Jessica’s Law will become law in Connecticut this year,” said Senator Fasano.