Teenage sex & statutory rape

This is Genarlow Wilson, Convicted at the age of 17 for consensual oral sex with a 15 year old. He is 21 and was just freed from prison, from what was originally a 10 year felony sentence. The article can be read here. It seems that there are circumstances surrounding the night in question b/c he and his other friends had sex with a 17 year old and he received oral sex from the 15 yr old. And of course the boys video taped it. So this would appall most parents out there and if we were the parents of the daughters, I am sure a feeling that our children were taken advantage of would overwhelm us. "My little girl couldn't possibly willingly take part in something like that!".

My view is a bit different. At 15 I fell in like with a 19 year old. Our relationship lasted eight years. It ended bitterly, but there was a 4 year age difference the entire time. You think...ewww 15 and 19? But what about 21 & 25? or 22 & 26? The age difference never changed between us. I waited a year to be intimate with him, to be sure it was love (for me at least) and to make sure he wasn't using me. The stretch between 15 & 17...isn't that much. I am not sure as a parent I would want to put away a 17 year old for 10 years and ruin his life over a consensual act. This boys appeal was heard b/c a year after imprisonment, they ammended the law to state that what he did was a misdemeanor.

I know my parents could have put Jason away for our relationship. I know that most people are thinking how wrong it was. But I still don't feel that way, and I would never feel that way about a 15 & 17 year old.If my daughter entered into the same relationship, I would have the same rules as my parents. I have to meet him, he has to be present at our home on a regular basis, and he has to respect the rules. If I find out that they are sexually active, I will deal with that accordingly. I know from experience, you can't stop it, but you can sure steer your children in the right direction and take the steps necessary to protect themselves.
Maybe I am still young. Maybe I am more liberal in my thinking. Maybe I haven't seen how beautiful my daughter will be and impressionable.

What are your thoughts?

I will also try to find out the entire story behind the article. But the main point is should, teenagers be prosecuted for consensual state.

UPDATE

So, turns out, he was convicted for sodomy which also constitutes oral sex. He was also convicted of Child Molestation, which will follow him everywhere for the rest of his life, he will have to register as a sex offender every place he lives.

One article reads:

but convicted him of aggravated child molestation against the 15 year old. The "aggravated" nature of the charge refers to sodomy (oral sex) rather than a mere "immoral or indecent act." Had Wilson had intercourse with the 15 year old and not received oral sex from her, he would have been subject to a 5 year minimum prison term instead of the 10 year minimum term that the judge gave him.

Another Article Reads:

"In 2003, Wilson was a 17-year-old senior at Douglas County High with a 3.2 GPA and football skills that had caught the attention of a several Ivy League schools. He was popular among students and teachers and had been voted Homecoming King. That all changed after a New Year's Eve party during which he received oral sex from a 10th grader. She was 15 and by all accounts the initiator. At the time, Georgia law stipulated that it was "a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse," but a felony for them to have oral sex. Despite the inconsistency in severity of the two laws, Wilson was found guilty of aggravated child molestation, which carried a mandatory decade behind bars. Since then the law has been changed to include oral sex under the misdemeanor category, but the Legislature neglected to make the law retroactive, leaving Wilson stuck in prison for over 27 months."