[7thson]

The crime is one of the “consenting” adults believes the other is a child.

[Alberta's Child]

Proving intent in a case like that is damn near impossible. Imagine this scenario playing out if the defendant takes the stand and testifies in his own defense:

QUESTION: “Is it true that you exchanged lurid messages online with a minor?”

ANSWER: “No. I was exchanging those messages with an adult pretending to be a minor.”

The prosecution now has to prove what the defendant did and didn’t know at a certain point in time. How the hell do you do that?

The prosecution’s case falls apart right there. This is why you rarely hear about cases being prosecuted in those stories from TV shows like “To Catch a Predator.”