Court: Nude recording of kids don't have to be lewd to lead to convictions

COLUMBUS — Recordings of nude children don’t have to be lewd in nature to lead to convictions, the state’s high court ruled today.

A majority of Ohio Supreme Court justices affirmed the sentence of a Dayton-area man imprisoned for secretly recording an 11-year-old girl while she undressed in a bathroom.

The facts of the case were not disputed: Terry Lee Martin was convicted for making the recording of a minor without “bona fide artistic, medical, scientific, educational, religious, judicial or other proper purpose” or the written consent of the girl’s parents, according to documents.

Martin waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted on two felony counts. He appealed, however, arguing the trial court did not apply the correct definition of nudity in his case.