Iowa § 709.23 Continuous sexual abuse of a child

Iowa Statutes

§ 709.23 — Continuous sexual abuse of a child

Iowa § 709.23

Title XVICRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE

Ch. 709SEXUAL ABUSE

This text of Iowa § 709.23 (Continuous sexual abuse of a child) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Iowa Code § 709.23 (2026).

Text

1.A person eighteen years of age or older commits continuous sexual abuse of a child when the person engages in any combination of three or more acts of sexual abuse with the same child, and at least thirty days have elapsed between the first and last acts of sexual abuse.

2.A person who commits continuous sexual abuse of a child is, upon conviction, guilty of a class “B” felony. Notwithstanding section 902.9, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, a person convicted of a violation of this section shall be confined for no more than fifty years.

3.If a jury is the trier of fact, members of the jury must unanimously agree that three or more acts of sexual abuse were committed with the same child and at least thirty days have elapsedbetweenthefirstandlastactsofsexualabuse. Thejurydoesnotneedtounanim

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1. A person eighteen years of age or older commits continuous sexual abuse of a child
when the person engages in any combination of three or more acts of sexual abuse with the
same child, and at least thirty days have elapsed between the first and last acts of sexual
abuse.
2. A person who commits continuous sexual abuse of a child is, upon conviction, guilty
of a class “B” felony. Notwithstanding section 902.9, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, a person
convicted of a violation of this section shall be confined for no more than fifty years.
3. If a jury is the trier of fact, members of the jury must unanimously agree that three or
more acts of sexual abuse were committed with the same child and at least thirty days have
elapsedbetweenthefirstandlastactsofsexualabuse. Thejurydoesnotneedtounanimously
agree which specific acts were committed or the exact date when those acts were committed.
4. Any other sexual abuse offense involving the same child shall not be charged in
the same proceeding as a charge under this section unless the other sexual abuse offense
occurred outside of the time period charged under this section or the other sexual abuse
offense is charged in the alternative.
5. A person shall be charged with only one count under this section unless more than one
child is involved in the offense. If more than one child is involved, a separate count may be
charged for each child.

6. Each act of sexual abuse committed under section 709.3 shall be considered a lesser
included offense to the crime of continuous sexual abuse of a child under this section.