“Am I wrong: a sixteen year old cannot give “consent” to a sexual relationship-it would be rape (I cannot find in what jurisdiction this took place so I may be wrong).”
Whatever jurisdiction this took place in I’m sure has a law or laws that address the consent issue.
In my state there is an age cutoff so that what would be a “lesser” offense for a victim who is 16 years old would be treated as a greater offense if the victim were, say, 13 years old.
In the above example, neither victim can give “consent”.
a 16 year old cannot give consent in most areas. So the accuser may be a liar. Angry young men and women know the best way to get back at someone is to accuse of inappropriate sex.