Prosecutors are asking a Fulton County judge to limit what can be introduced about the teenage accuser’s sexual history as Sidney Starr’s criminal case moves toward arraignment. The state reportedly filed a rape-shield motion seeking to prevent that information from being raised in court unless it falls within an exception allowed under Georgia law.
The filing, first reported by TMZ, is an evidentiary request rather than an indication that Starr’s attorneys have already tried to introduce such material. Georgia’s rape-shield statute generally prohibits evidence concerning an accuser’s previous sexual behavior in prosecutions for offenses that include sodomy, child molestation, and sexual battery.
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About Sidney Starr's Charges
The criminal case stems from an encounter earlier this month at an Embassy Suites in Hapeville, Georgia. Starr, whose legal name is Sidney Favors, faces felony charges of sodomy, aggravated child molestation, and sexual battery against a child under 16. Reports have since identified the accuser as a 13-year-old boy. Starr told investigators that the teen said he was 18, according to TMZ, and she has denied the allegations against her.
Those competing accounts emerged as investigators and prosecutors detailed the encounter in court. Starr’s defense attorney said during her bond hearing that the boy approached her in the hotel lobby before accompanying her to her room. Prosecutors have alleged that sexual contact occurred there. Starr’s statements about what she believed the boy’s age to be remain part of her account of the encounter, while the charges against her are based on authorities’ determination that he was a minor.
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A Fulton County judge denied Starr bond days ago, leaving her in custody while the case proceeds. Prosecutors argued that her Chicago residency made her a flight risk, while the court also raised concerns that her television profile and social media reach could affect witnesses involved in the case. Starr’s attorneys pointed to her lack of a prior criminal history and cooperation with police while seeking her release.
The rape-shield motion was not the only filing prosecutors submitted as the case moved closer to its next hearing. TMZ reports that the state also filed a certificate of discovery and a notice of prosecution’s intent. Starr remains jailed without bond and is scheduled to return to court Thursday (September 3) for her plea and arraignment.
