New bill targets sex offenders, addresses restraining orders

LAKEWOOD - Nicole's Law, a bill which will permit victims of sex offenses to obtain restraining orders against their attackers, has been placed in front of the state Senate.

Sen. Robert W. Singer (R-Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington and Mercer) and Sen. Leonard T. Connors Jr. (R-Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean) sponsored the bill.

The bill is dedicated to Nicole Michele Norberto, who was raped when she was 15 years old in 2003. Existing laws prevented Norberto from filing a restraining order against the person who raped her despite the fact that she was later harassed by the assailant's friends.

According to the bill proposed by Singer and Connors, the term sex offense refers to any offense for which a person is required to resister under the guidelines of Megan's Law. A victim's restraining order would be temporary while a trial is pending and become permanent if the assailant is convicted.

Singer said the bill is long overdue.

"It's a victim's rights issue," he said. "There's a quirk in the law that says unless a victim had a prior relationship with the assailant you cannot get a restraining order.

"It's ludicrous - the victims are stuck with the fact that a person who assaulted them could come and live next door. Now they can rest assured that when the person is found guilty, [the attacker] can never bother them again," he said.

Singer called Norberto "very brave," and said "the accolades are to her."

"She didn't care about anonymity," Singer said, noting that Norberto sought out officials in an attempt to create the type of law that has now been proposed.

Should a victim be a child under the age of 18, or developmentally disabled, the victim's parent or guardian will be able to make the decision to pursue the restraining order on behalf of the victim. If a disagreement between the victim and parent or guardian exists, a judge would render a decision in the best interest of the victim.

Violators of the law would serve an 18-month jail term.

The bill will now go to the Senate Judiciary Committee and then to the Assembly Law and Public Safety Com-mittee for further consideration.

- Larry Hlavenka Jr.