John Cornelly's Case Summary

Looking at John Cornelly, the plaintiff in this case, I see a young man with a promising future. Cornelly has never been convicted in a court of law of misconduct. Though this is not enough proof of his innocence, it is clear that his conduct was driven by external factors. First, Cornelly has readily admitted that he has had an affair with his class teacher. The latter appeared in criminal proceedings and is awaiting sentencing over rape charges to which she pled guilty. It is clear that Cornelly fell into her trap and this might have been the genesis of his misconduct. Being an adult, the teacher is to blame for the corrupting of this minor. She ought to have protected him from any conduct that was against state law. Cornelly’s possession
of the teacher’s nude photos depicts a situation where the teacher was influential in corrupting the mind of this minor. The latter confessed that the teacher took a photo of him and pressured him to take hers. No one is aware of the kind of threats he could have received before accepting to keep the nude pictures in his phone. No one can accurately determine the seduction he underwent before believing that the teacher was the best match for the object of his desire. Minors fall into such traps often. Here, the case is very sensitive as we are dealing with a minor who had an affair with a person the age of his mother.
As a student, Cornelly is vulnerable to several factors from which misconduct arises.
The teacher is the most influential factor in the case before us. As stated in his testimony, all kind of sexting happened under her pressure. I do not mean to say that Cornelly was not aware of the behavior he was engaging in and the consequences involved. However, he testified that this teacher placed threats to him to ensure that he acquiesced to her demands. What would an innocent young man with not much ability to defend himself do under such circumstances? This case cannot be used to place Cornelly in the wrong as the misconduct depicts the exploitation of a minor by a
teacher.
The investigating officers reported the possession of nude pictures by both Cornelly and the class teacher. Looking at the receipt dates, one realizes that it is the teacher who first sent her pictures to Cornelly. The latter sent his picture two days later. The investigating officer noted that the picture sent by Cornelly was not a direct reply to the teacher’s pictorial message. A string of messages followed the teacher’s message and the final message before Cornelly sent his nude picture showed resistance. He actually told the teacher that he could not take a nude photo and send it to her. The photo sent to the teacher was actually taken two days after the exchanges and the investigators found out that the photo was taken as the young man posed on the teacher’s bed. The posture of the young man and the look on his face depicts coercion rather than willingness. This case, therefore, depicts sexual exploitation of a minor rather than misconduct. The minor further states that he was under pressure to send photos of his genitalia to the two females who testified in this case and many other students. One element that sets this young man apart is his outright speaking. At no point did we hear his denial of the activities he was accused of. While most minors deny their misconduct, Cornelly even informed the court that there are many other females who had received nude photos and the genitalia picture. He was also bold enough to admit the affair between him and the teacher. Judging from the misconduct of the latter, who is already facing charges of statutory rape, it is clear that Cornelly’s case is misplaced. He just happens to be a prey of the teacher. The latter used him as a pawn to ensure that her desires were met. The offences for which Cornelly is charged are, therefore, involuntary and there was no way he could avoid trouble. With the threats from the teacher and the pressure, he had no choice but to do her wishes. Cornelly was not only under pressure to engage in sexting, but the affair with the class teacher was also coerced.
We realize that the creation, dissemination, and possession of the nude pictures and the sexting messages were all instigated by the class teacher with whom he had an affair. The teacher knew that she was wrong in her endeavors, including engagement in an affair with a minor. She was also aware of the consequences of sexual exploitation of minors. This case is not one of a felony committed by a minor, but one of sexual exploitation of a minor. The testimonies given by the accused can only be interpreted as such. The young man is innocent and everything about his position is contrary to his wishes. In this case, he is not a sex offender who should face registration as someone else was just taking advantage of
him. For Cornelly to be registered as a Level 1 sex offender there has to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the creation, dissemination and possession of the nude photos was voluntary. Again, the motive of the sexting must be considered. In this case, there is nothing voluntary about this situation that warrants these charges brought against him.