Silver_Meteor wrote:
It would not make any difference, it would still be illegal under US law.
The age of consent is 16 in the UK as well as Britain's Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. As she was 15, she was near enough the age of consent on that level and whilst sexual activity does occur and is illegal, it is generally not acted upon legally unless the younger partner raises a complaint or it is found to be abusive.
As has been said previously, it's really about the girl's ability to consent rather than her age.
MONKEY wrote:
I find the de-sexualisation of the disabled an insult
I understand where you are coming from. In most cases, yes, it
is an insult if their disabilities do not stop them being able to exercise their self-determination on whom they wish to sleep with. There are special disability organisations that exist here in Britain to help disabled people find partners. But I think people worry because people with mental/cognitive difficulties can so easily be exploited and abused by those with the balance of power. In this case, the sex sounds like it was abusive.