Man Convicted of Rape After Taking Off Condom During Sex Without Telling Partner

A man has been convicted of rape for taking off a condom during sex without telling his partner.

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A man who took off a condom during intercourse without telling his partner has been convicted of rape, the Independentreported Wednesday. The conviction is considered a "landmark decision" in the Criminal Court in Lausanne, Switzerland and comes with a 12-month suspended sentence for the unnamed perpetrator from France.

The man, 47, first met the victim—a woman from Switzerland—on Tinder. Following their second date in June of 2015, the two engaged in sexual intercourse using a condom. After having sex, the woman realized the condom had been removed without her knowledge. "This decision, which can be the subject of an appeal, is a first in Switzerland," the victim's attorney said Monday, according to a translated report from RTS.

As noted in Broadly's report on the conviction, our "understanding of consent" has evolved dramatically over the past few years. Dr. Sinead Ring of the University of Kent, referencing the United Kingdom's Sexual Offenses Act of 2003, said the main issue in this growing discussion is the idea of "conditional consent."

Securing a criminal conviction, however, remains difficult. "If it's proved the woman consented to sex with a condom and he changed the circumstances under which she'd consented, it's quite possible he'd be convicted of rape," Dr. Ring toldBroadly's Sirin Kale Thursday. "But a jury would have to determine that he didn't have a reasonable belief in consent and just went ahead and did it anyway."

Consent, as defined by the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, is "an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity." Though consent "doesn't have to be verbal," communication is key. So don't be an asshole. Practice consent.

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