A child molester who sexually abused a seven year old girl has claimed that he can't be held responsible for his action because he suffers from a condition called 'sexsomnia' and was asleep when he attacked her.
Caleb Ruh, 29, says had just taken the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and that he was 'sleep sexing' when he grabbed the girl at his home in Flagler County, Florida, in July 2012 and tried to kiss and fondle her.
A jury wasn't impressed by his defense and convicted him of lewd and lascivious molestation. He faces life in prison and will be designated a sexual predator, Flagler Live reports.
Convicted: Caleb Ruh, 29, claimed he was 'sleep sexing' when he attacked a seven-year-old girl in 2012. A jury didn't believe him and convicted him of lewd and lascivious molestation.
People purporting to suffer from sexsomnia appear to be awake and conscious when they engage in sexual behavior, though they are actually asleep and have no memory of the incident.
Several research papers have studied the phenomenon, though most prosecutors argue it's being used as an excuse by defendants to escape justice.
It's use as a criminal defense has been on the rise. In 2009, a Georgia man was acquitted of molesting a seven-year-old girl after successfully convincing a jury that he was suffering from sexsomnia.
In 2012, British actor Simon Morris used the defense when he was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl at a house party in Wales. He was later convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The girl told her mother that on another occasion, Ruh blindfolded her and made her play a 'game' where he put things in her mouth and made her guess what they were.
Shocking: Ruh's Facebook page includes a picture of him sleeping next to a small child with the caption 'caught napping with my little' girl
Ruh's public defender said that Ruh had no knowledge of either that incident or the July 2012 attack on the girl.
After the girl told her mother about the attacks, she moved out of Ruh's house and had her daughter interviewed by officers from a Child Protective Team. That team determined that she had been the victim of 'two acts of sexual violence,' Flagler Live reports.
Ruh's Facebook page shows several pictures of a child - including one of him sleeping in bed next to her. The caption reads: 'caught napping with my little' girl. ..Source.. by Staff Writer
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