A teenage boy was prosecuted after nude photos of himself were found on his mobile phone.
Cormega Copening, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was just 16 years old when he was prosecuted under child pornography laws for sexually exploiting a minor – himself.
Now, he has struck a plea deal to avoid both jail time and being registered as a sex offender.
The teenager was charged with four counts of making and possessing pornographic images of himself, and a single count of possessing a naked image of 16-year-old girlfriend Brianna Denson.
Ms Denson also faced prosecution for having naked images of herself on her phone and struck a plea deal similar to her boyfriends.
But while the pictures were considered illegal under North Carolina state law, sexual intercourse between the pair would not have been – with the legal age of consent set at 16.
The graphic images on Copening’s phone were first discovered when authorities investigated the widespread sharing of sexual images without consent at his school.
Both Copening and Denson were ordered to pay court costs, attend a class in good decision making, and undertake 30 hours of community service.
The pair are also prohibited from owning a mobile phone for a year.
