September 14, 2005

Debra Lafave Genitalia Photo Blocked

(Tampa, Florida) Remember Debra Lafave? She's the gorgeous 24-year-old teacher who claims she was insane during mad sex romps with a 14-year-old student. She's scheduled to be tried in December, however, there's a new development in her case.

Apparently, during the investigation of her alleged crimes, the authorities obtained a search warrant to photograph her genitalia to collect evidence corroborating the statements of the 14-year-old boy. The photos are public records and, as such, any citizen can request access. As a result, Lafave's lawyer, John Fitzgibbons, has filed a motion to block public access to the pictures on the basis that they are an invasion of privacy.

From the St. Petersburg Times:

Questioned by detectives a week before Lafave's arrest on charges of lewd and lascivious battery, the boy told them things about his teacher that only intimate contact would have revealed. He mentioned belly button rings and butterfly tattoos. Then he told them about Lafave's "V" shaped tan line along her waist and that she had shaved her pubic area in a "unique" pattern.

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Michelle Sisco issued a search warrant last year authorizing Temple Terrace investigators to collect evidence that would verify the victim's account. When detectives brought Lafave to the county jail, they told her they had a warrant to photograph her body, according to the motion filed Tuesday.

A nurse draped a sheet over Lafave and a female jailhouse deputy snapped four pictures of her hips, legs and back. Then they placed Lafave's feet in stirrups and took two close-up photos of her genitals that Fitzgibbons described as "pornographic."

Companion post/pic at Interested-Participant.