Is there anything worse than the sexual abuse of a child? No. But something is close; the injustice they suffer at the hands of the courts.
My journey began three years and four months ago. That’s when I took custody of my three granddaughters. Their journey began much earlier. After filing charges, which nobody else has the wherewithal to do, we are, hopefully, bringing this stage of abuse to an end.
After court continuations that spanned almost three years, we were set for a preliminary trial tomorrow. We hoped for a plea. I got a call from the prosecutor’s office today saying they were approached with such a plea from the defendant’s attorney.
For charges that could result in up to thirty years and one that could result in a life sentence, a lifetime registry on the sexual offender’s list, and a plea of guilty, we were presented with much less.
The asshole is willing to plead guilty to two lesser charges, twenty-five years on the registry, and two years in prison. In the meantime, these girls live with it every day and will have that victimization for a lifetime.
The courts, of course, want to lighten the docket. Ultimately, it’s up to the girls to say yes or no. Saying yes brings that chapter to an end. Saying no means they have to go to court and testify, reliving the whole thing all over again and hope for a better outcome.
I don’t want to see them go through that. They don’t want to go through that. So, they accept and said asshole has his life temporarily disrupted. When will we allow these children to testify behind closed doors? When will we protect the victims?
I was told impact statements probably won’t have much sway in a plea deal. Why put them through that? However, when explaining everything to them, at least one still wants to make that statement and see him sentenced for her own satisfaction.
The most logical person in this whole mess is a ten-year-old girl. Maybe there’s hope for the future.
Let’s talk soon…
The Renaissance Maniac 