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Missouri Revised Statutes Title XXXVIII. Crimes and Punishment; Peace Officers and Public Defenders § 573.050. Evidence in obscenity and child pornography cases

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

1. In any prosecution under this chapter evidence shall be admissible to show:

(1) What the predominant appeal of the material or performance would be for ordinary adults or minors;

(2) The literary, artistic, political or scientific value of the material or performance;

(3) The degree of public acceptance in this state and in the local community;

(4) The appeal to prurient interest in advertising or other promotion of the material or performance;

(5) The purpose of the author, creator, promoter, furnisher or publisher of the material or performance.

2. Testimony of the author, creator, promoter, furnisher, publisher, or expert testimony, relating to factors entering into the determination of the issues of obscenity or child pornography, shall be admissible.

3. In any prosecution under this chapter, when it becomes necessary to determine whether a person was less than seventeen or eighteen years of age, the court or jury may make this determination by any of the following methods:

(1) Personal inspection of the child;

(2) Inspection of the photograph or motion picture that shows the child engaging in the sexual performance;

(3) Oral testimony by a witness to the sexual performance as to the age of the child based on the child's appearance at the time;

(4) Expert medical testimony based on the appearance of the child engaging in the sexual performance; or

(5) Any other method authorized by law or by the rules of evidence.

4. In any prosecution for promoting child pornography in the first or second degree, no showing is required that the performance or material involved appeals to prurient interest, that it lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, or that it is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the community as a whole.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Missouri Revised Statutes Title XXXVIII. Crimes and Punishment; Peace Officers and Public Defenders § 573.050. Evidence in obscenity and child pornography cases - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxviii-crimes-and-punishment-peace-officers-and-public-defenders/mo-rev-st-573-050/

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