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Labrie Requests New Trial, Claiming Ineffective Counsel

Elizabeth Frantz/The Concord Monitor
Owen Labrie, 20, hangs his head last month after a Concord judge orders him to immediately serve his one-year sentence for breaking curfew multiple times.

A St. Paul’s School graduate convicted of sexually assaulting a minor and using a computer to lure her is requesting a new trial.

Owen Labrie’s current lawyer says his previous attorneys failed to take serious the computer charge, which carried the strictest sentence and required him to register as a lifetime sex offender. 

In a 28-page court filing this week, Labrie’s appeal lawyer argues his previous attorneys didn’t challenge the computer offense until after his conviction.

As a result, Labrie’s lawyer states, her client suffered "a miscarriage of justice.”

Labrie’s lawyers claim the law against using computers to lure assault victims was intended to target older men who hide their identity to engage in sex with a minor.

But Labrie’s appeal lawyer says his earlier defense team failed to argue during trial that this statue didn’t apply to two students, like Labrie and his victim.

Labrie is also appealing his conviction to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He is currently serving a one year jail sentence after breaking his bail conditions last month.  

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