The defendant in this appeal was charged with the crimes of sexual assault in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-70, and unlawful restraint in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-95. The defendant was tried to a jury and was acquitted on the unlawful restraint charge at the conclusion of the state’s case. After all the evidence had been presented, the court charged the jury that it might consider not only first degree sexual assault but also what the court termed the “lesser included offenses” of sexual assault in the third and fourth degrees. The jury acquitted the defendant of the first degree charge but found him guilty of sexual assault in the third degree. The court thereupon denied the defendant’s motion for acquittal.
The defendant’s appeal is grounded on six claims of error. As one claim of error is dispositive of this appeal, we need not discuss the other claims.
The alleged assault arose out of a relationship which was evidently, at least in part, consensual. The events giving rise to the charges occurred at the end of an extended evening of drinking and dalliance, first at a Hartford “singles” bar and later at the victim’s apartment, to which she had invited the defendant and another couple in the early morning hours. From the testimony of the other couple, the jury could have concluded that the victim was a willing participant in various sexual activities. These activities culminated in acts of intercourse giving rise to a claim that pene
If this assertion is correct, the defendant was convicted of an offense for which he was not on trial. In such a case the conviction would be improper, and the verdict could not stand. As we
If sexual assault in the third degree is a lesser offense included within sexual assault in the first degree, the defendant has had notice of the lesser charge because the statement of the principal charge constitutes notice as to all offenses necessarily included therein. See
State
v.
Jacobowitz,
Connecticut’s general test for lesser included offenses was recently set forth in complete form in
State
v.
Whistnant,
The leading case on lesser included offenses prior to
Whistnant
was
State
v.
Brown,
In the present ease, the information merely charged “sexual intercourse” in violation of General Statutes $ 53a~70. Section 53a-65
5
provides
The
Brown
court (pp. 60-62) rejected an earlier approach, appropriate to short form informations, in which the court was free to examine the evidence for any crimes suggested therein. See
State
v.
Mele,
If the examination of the information, and bill of particulars, if any, revealed that a lesser offense could be included in the offense charged, the court had next to consider whether the evidence would support a conviction of that lesser offense. In State v. Brown, supra, 61 n.2, the evidence test is phrased as requiring a rational basis for an acquittal on the charge and a conviction on the lesser included offense.
Applied to the present case, the rule would permit a lesser included instruction only if the evidence would support a conclusion that the victim had consented to intercourse but had objected to other sexual contact. The record before this court suggests no rational basis for such a conclusion, confirming that the lesser included instruction was erroneous.
We therefore conclude that the defendant was deprived of a fair trial.
State
v.
Rodriguez,
supra, 399 n.10. It is clear, however, that there can be no review of the judgment of acquittal on the first degree charge even though errors may underlie that judgment.
State
v.
Jacobowitz,
supra, 594. Nor can
There is error, the judgment is set aside, and the ease is remanded with direction to render judgment that the defendant is not guilty of sexual assault in the first degree and ordering that he be discharged.
In this opinion the other judges concurred.
Notes
“[General Statutes] See. 53a-70. sexual assault in the first degree: class b felony, (a) A person is guilty of sexual assault in the first degree when sueh person compels another person to engage in sexual intercourse by the use of force against such other person or a third person, or by the threat of use of force against sueh other person or against a third person which reasonably causes such person to fear physical injury to sueh person or a third person.” Of. “[General Statutes] See. 53a-72a. sexual assault in the third degree: class d felony, (a) A person is guilty of sexual assault in the third degree when sueh person (1) compels another person to submit to sexual contact (A) by the use of force against sueh other person or a third person, or (B) by the threat of use of force against such other person or against a third person, which reasonably causes sueh person to fear physical injury to sueh person or a third person, or (2) engages in sexual intercourse with another person whom sueh person knows to be related to sueh person within any of the degrees of kindred specified in section 46b-21.”
The Substituted Information in this case reads as follows: “GEORGE D. STOUGHTON, State’s Attorney for the County of Hartford, accuses Jerome Martin of Wethersfield, Connecticut, of SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE FIRST DEGREE, and charges that at the City of Hartford, on or about the 3rd day of January, 1978, the said Jerome Martin did compel another person to engage in sexual intercourse by the use of force, in violation of Section 53a-70 of the General Statutes.
Herbert G. Appleton ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY
Filed March 16, 1979”
The
Whistnant
conditions entitling the defendant to a lesser included offense instruction were restated in
Tinsley
as follows : “(1) an appropriate instruction is requested by either the state or the defendant; (2) it is not possible to commit the greater offense, in the manner described in the information or bill of particulars, without having first committed the lesser; (3) the evidence, introduced by either the state or the defendant, or by a combination of their proofs, justifies eonvietion of the lesser offense; and (4) the proof on the element or elements which differentiate the lesser offense from the offense charged is sufficiently in dispute to permit the jury consistently to find the defendant innocent of the greater offense but guilty of the lesser.”
State
v.
Tinsley,
To the extent that
Whistnant
creates a sixth amendment constitutional entitlement, it may be retroactive in its application, but as the defendant is objecting to the instruction rather than claiming it, we need not address that issue.
State
v.
Shaw,
“[General Statutes] See. 53a-65. definitions. As used in this part, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) ‘Actor’ means a person accused of sexual assault.
(2) ‘Sexual intercourse’ means vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, fellatio or eunnilingus between persons regardless of sex. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse or fellatio and does not require emission of semen. Penetration may be committed by an object manipulated by the actor into the genital or anal opening of the victim’s body. Its meaning is limited to persons not married to each other.
(3) ‘Sexual contact’ means any contact with the intimate parts of a person not married to the actor for the purpose of sexual gratification of the actor.
(4) ‘Mentally defective’ means that a person suffers from a mental disease or defect which renders such person incapable of appraising the nature of such person’s conduct.
(5) ‘Mentally incapacitated’ means that a person is rendered temporarily incapable of appraising or controlling such person’s conductowing to the influence of a drug or intoxicating substance administered to such person without such person’s consent, or owing to any other act committed upon such person without such person’s consent.
(6) ‘Physically helpless’ means that a person is unconscious or for any other reason is physically unable to communicate unwillingness to act.
(7) ‘Use of force’ means: (a) Use of a dangerous instrument; or (b) use of actual physical force or violence or superior physical strength against the victim.
(8) ‘Intimate parts’ means the genital area, groin, anus; inner thighs, buttocks or breasts.”
We note in passing that there is no double jeopardy barrier to the filing of a new information charging sexual assault in the third degree, if filed within the statutory limitation period.
Federal courts have held that when a defendant is tried for a crime whieh includes both greater and lesser offenses, conviction of the lesser bars retrial on the greater, and vice-versa.
Harris
v.
Oklahoma,
Applying the Bloekhwrger test to this case, it is possible to commit the greater offense as charged without committing the lesser; it is also possible to satisfy the forcible sexual contact requirement for third degree sexual assault without satisfying the penetration requirement for the higher offense. Because the offenses are not substantially the same for double jeopardy purposes, there would be no constitutional impediment to a new trial on sexual assault in the third degree, an offense for whieh the defendant has never been charged and whieh was not included in the offense for which he was tried.
