Justices: Teen sending explicit photo of himself was a crime

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Washington Supreme Court says it was a crime for a teenage boy to send an unsolicited, sexually explicit picture of himself to an adult woman.

In a 6-3 ruling Thursday, the court said the state's child pornography law covers minors sending pictures of themselves — at least to unwilling recipients. The majority said the law refers to any person who produces or disseminates child porn.

The majority declined to decide whether the ruling would apply to teens who consensually send explicit pictures of themselves to other teens.

The dissent argued that the Legislature intended to protect minors — not prosecute them — and that the ruling will lead to absurd results. The dissent said the ruling would make it a crime for a child who is groomed by an adult to succumb to that grooming by taking such photos.