US: Lesbian charged over underage relationship to be released from jail
Kaitlyn Hunt, the 19-year-old Florida lesbian charged with having sexual relations with her 14-year-old girlfriend has accepted the terms of a new plea deal.
Hunt will be released from jail on 20 December and will have to wear an ankle tag to ensure she has no contact with her former girlfriend. As part of the terms she will not be a registered criminal or sex offender.
In a statement, Hunt’s attorney, Julia Graves, said: “Kaitlyn Hunt is accepting the plea deal in her best interest as well as that of her family, the ‘victim’ and the ‘victim’s’ family. It is time to enter a plea given the current state of the law and get back to living a somewhat normal life without fear of the unknown for everyone involved.”
In May, Hunt was expelled from Sebastian River High School in Florida after being charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery of a child when she was aged 18.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said at the time it was wrong to view Hunt as a predator.
Despite a worldwide social media campaign to get the charges dropped, Florida State Attorney Bruce Colton refused to do so.
It was claimed Hunt had communicated with the girl via 20,000 texts.
