**verdict in post 64* ANOTHER UPDATE POST 101 101

[justbugged]

I am so sorry that the verdict was not way I was hoping for. I understand what the impact of abuse can be, and the impact of not having anyone believe in you is truly awful. For me it wasn't so much being molested, but finding myself to blame for everything was devastating. I know that the person that did that to me has still never acknowledged the event either. What scares me the most is that he apologized for tormenting me for years before I was 5 years old. He isn't much older than myself, but I am left to wonder about how bad things were. I also got blamed by my parents for being tormented, if they hadn’t been so busy and overwhelmed by the life that they chose who knows if it would have made any difference to my life. I was often described as my family’s crybaby, I have a much better understanding of what happened, and I am sure that it really wasn't my fault.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
god i love your justice system.. 23 years on a plea..... crap... if this guy was convicted max he would have got would be 10 years and only serve 1/3 of it

23 years sentence is VERY rare... trust me..
They usually get junk for sentences here...

NOT RARE where I live in Tennessee. Here is another case from this week. 22 years. This is in my county. The other case was in Davidson County around Nashville. Child preds don't get away with crap around here.

http://www.courieranywhere.com/news-menu/local-news-menu/2891-child-rapist-gets-22-years

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
23 years sentence is VERY rare... trust me..
They usually get junk for sentences here...

NOT RARE where I live in Tennessee. Here is another case from this week. 22 years. This is in my county. The other case was in Davidson County around Nashville. Child preds don't get away with crap around here.

http://www.courieranywhere.com/news-menu/local-news-menu/2891-child-rapist-gets-22-years

Ditto. They are really taking a serious stance and cracking down in TN. There are regular news stories about it.

Even having certain images on your computer can get you locked up for 12 years or more, even if you never touched a child or committed a physical crime.
I know this for a fact because someone I knew faced these charges last year. I know first-hand how seriously the investigators take this, how thorough they are. They had a tight case against the man, and after talking to 3 different lawyers he chose to take his own life during the investigation rather than face the consequences.

 

[Dar]

well I wish it was that way here... the way our justice system works is this...

sexual assault (which is the PC way of saying rape!)
1st offense... slap on the wrist and a stern talking to.... (probation for 2 years)

2nd offense... if you plead guilty, 6 months in closed custody (prov jail) .. if you plead not guilty... 2 years less a day and you will serve 2/3 and have 2 years probation and depending on the offense and relation to the child (ie.. was it a case of a 16yr old boy and a 13 yr old girl) or a full grown man and a child under age 13 you may end up getting put on the dreaded sexual predators registry which is oh so scary (sense the sarcastic tone?) because ONLY THE POLICE have access to this registry. If you are on this registry you have to report to police if you move.

3rd offense you are looking at min 5 years, max 15 yrs, and to possibly placed on the habitual offenders registry which you will have to report to police monthly and again the public will have no knowledge of this list cause we are not privy to the information.


Invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference of a minor are all really small sentences.. with the max being like 6 months

 

[noodleroo]

You never know what a jury will do. Anytime you go to court, its out of your hands. Decisions will be made by people that don't know you and will never be allowed to see the 'whole story'. If the verdict had been what you expected, it would still not change what happened to you and your son.

In reality, nothing has changed since the crime was committed. You and your son are the good people and he is the bad person - no matter what the jury found. You know what the monster did, and so does he. None of this mess is your or your son's fault.

The other posts about reoffending are right; there is a 0% chance of rehabilitation for this type of offender. Even if they can control their actions, they always have the urge to offend. There is no cure for the 'disease' they have.

The law protects the accused; in the US, the accused has more rights than the victim. Even after conviction and incarceration, the inmate has different rights than free citizens. Its how the system is set up to avoid malicious prosecution. Unfortunately, its so hard for a prosecuting entity to get a conviction because all the ducks have to be in a row, and if one or some are not, the prosecutor can't win. The laws are set up that way so that "better a thousand guilty go free than one innocent be convicted". It feels so unfair when we all know what is right.

But the good news is that you are in control of your life from this point on. You can grieve and heal and use your strengths to make you better than you ever dreamed. Sometimes we need our scars to make us whole. You are no longer a victim; you are a survivor. Stronger than ever, your life from now on is yours. As I said in an earlier post, it doesn't matter what 10 people that don't know you and weren't allowed to know the whole story decided; you are the good people - you win.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
I dont know I have to talk tot he crown attorney today and find out any details

I hope there is some reason for an appeal; perhaps the two jurors who were tossed? Did they have or say anything to other jurors at any point after looking him up? Seems like that would taint the entire jury, and ought to be a mistrial. I can understand why arrests for a similar crime cannot be mentioned; but I would think that CONVICTIONS (expecially since there was more than one) ought to be admisable. If the judge disallowed it, and there is law or precident backing up including it as pertinent information that might be grounds. Despite the verdict, do you think the prosecutor presented the case well or poorly?

 

[Dar]

the jury was not allowed to hear evidence from the nurse practitioner for the pediatric sexual assault unit

 

[wildeflowers]

Dar, I am so sorry. I just can not believe that he was found not guilty and that the jury wasn't allowed to hear all pertinent evidence. You must be devastated.

I hope you and your son are able to find peace and I will pray for you both.

 

[noodleroo]

Quote:
I dont know I have to talk tot he crown attorney today and find out any details

I hope there is some reason for an appeal; perhaps the two jurors who were tossed? Did they have or say anything to other jurors at any point after looking him up? Seems like that would taint the entire jury, and ought to be a mistrial. I can understand why arrests for a similar crime cannot be mentioned; but I would think that CONVICTIONS (expecially since there was more than one) ought to be admisable. If the judge disallowed it, and there is law or precident backing up including it as pertinent information that might be grounds. Despite the verdict, do you think the prosecutor presented the case well or poorly?

I don't think the prosecution gets another shot at it, but again we're talking about Canada and I don't know their laws. Usually you can't keep going after and going after a defendant.

Convictions are usually allowed in a punishment phase of a trial in Texas, but can be kept from the jury during the guilt or innocense phase. Usually other convictions in felonies cause the charge to be what is called 'enhanced', or a higher degree of felony because of the prior convictions.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I'm so sorry for what you are going through. What is wrong with the world where evil people are allowed to roam free? What is going on here? This is sick sick sick. Bullet through the head is in order if you ask me, but I am all for vigilante justice when the system fails us over and over again.