New Hampshire Revised Statutes 632-A:6 – Testimony and Evidence
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I. The testimony of the victim shall not be required to be corroborated in prosecutions under this chapter.
II. Prior consensual sexual activity between the victim and any person other than the actor shall not be admitted into evidence in any prosecution under this chapter.
II-a. (a) Proffered evidence excluded under this section, and related pleadings, shall remain under seal and exempt from public disclosure unless and until the New Hampshire supreme court overturns the trial court’s evidentiary ruling, in which case only the evidence that the supreme court rules admissible would be subject to public disclosure.
(b) For purposes of this section, “sexual activity” includes any conduct or behavior relating to sexual activities of the victim, including but not limited to, previous or subsequent experience of sexual penetration or sexual contact, sexual predisposition, thoughts or expressions related to sexual issues, use of contraceptives, sexual activities reflected in medical and counseling records, living arrangements, and lifestyle.
III. Consent is no defense if, at the time of the sexual assault, the victim indicates by speech or conduct that there is not freely given consent to performance of the sexual act. A jury is not required to infer consent from a victim’s failure to physically resist a sexual assault.
III-a. The victim’s manner of dress at the time of the sexual assault shall not be admitted as evidence in any prosecution under this chapter to infer consent.
IV. At the request of a party the court shall, in cases under RSA 632-A, order witnesses excluded so that they cannot hear the testimony of other witnesses, and it may make the order of its own motion. This does not authorize exclusion of a party who is a natural person or a victim of the crime, or a person whose presence is shown by a party to be essential to the presentation of the party’s cause.
V. In any sexual assault case under N.H. Rev. Stat. Chapter 632-A where the victim is 16 years of age or younger, and the defense has listed as a witness or subpoenaed a parent or parents to testify in the case and requested that the parent or parents be sequestered, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to determine the best interests of the minor victim. The guardian ad litem shall make a recommendation to the court, based on the preferences and best interests of the victim, as to whether the parent or parents should be permitted to sit with the victim in the court room during the duration of the trial.
II. Prior consensual sexual activity between the victim and any person other than the actor shall not be admitted into evidence in any prosecution under this chapter.
Terms Used In New Hampshire Revised Statutes 632-A:6
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies corporate and politic as well as to individuals. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:9
- Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
- seal: shall include an impression of the official seal made upon the paper alone, as well as an impression thereof made by means of wax, or a wafer, affixed thereto. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:11
- Testify: Answer questions in court.
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
II-a. (a) Proffered evidence excluded under this section, and related pleadings, shall remain under seal and exempt from public disclosure unless and until the New Hampshire supreme court overturns the trial court’s evidentiary ruling, in which case only the evidence that the supreme court rules admissible would be subject to public disclosure.
(b) For purposes of this section, “sexual activity” includes any conduct or behavior relating to sexual activities of the victim, including but not limited to, previous or subsequent experience of sexual penetration or sexual contact, sexual predisposition, thoughts or expressions related to sexual issues, use of contraceptives, sexual activities reflected in medical and counseling records, living arrangements, and lifestyle.
III. Consent is no defense if, at the time of the sexual assault, the victim indicates by speech or conduct that there is not freely given consent to performance of the sexual act. A jury is not required to infer consent from a victim’s failure to physically resist a sexual assault.
III-a. The victim’s manner of dress at the time of the sexual assault shall not be admitted as evidence in any prosecution under this chapter to infer consent.
IV. At the request of a party the court shall, in cases under RSA 632-A, order witnesses excluded so that they cannot hear the testimony of other witnesses, and it may make the order of its own motion. This does not authorize exclusion of a party who is a natural person or a victim of the crime, or a person whose presence is shown by a party to be essential to the presentation of the party’s cause.
V. In any sexual assault case under N.H. Rev. Stat. Chapter 632-A where the victim is 16 years of age or younger, and the defense has listed as a witness or subpoenaed a parent or parents to testify in the case and requested that the parent or parents be sequestered, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to determine the best interests of the minor victim. The guardian ad litem shall make a recommendation to the court, based on the preferences and best interests of the victim, as to whether the parent or parents should be permitted to sit with the victim in the court room during the duration of the trial.