As the trial of Jerry Sandusky gets underway today in Bellefonte,Pa., the prosecution's case against the former Penn State assistantcoach could turn on its ability to explain the almost 15-year lapsebetween the alleged period of sexual abuse and today. While the lead prosecutor on Monday promised witnesses wouldprovide credible testimony, state law prohibits prosecutors fromputting experts on the stand to explain why victims of sexual abuseoften wait years before alerting the authorities. Mr. Sandusky, who is charged with abusing 10 boys over 15 years,faces 52 criminal counts related to the abuse. He says he is notguilty of the charges.
Eight of the alleged victims, who are now all adults, will testify,says Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan, the leadprosecutor in the case. In opening remarks Monday morning thatlasted 50 minutes, Mr. McGettigan said the majority of Sandusky svictims did not have fathers so became dependent on him through hischildren s charity, The Second Mile. McGettigan characterized the charity as the perfect environmentfor the predatory pedophile, and said Sandusky established apattern of grooming the victims through gifts and attention,followed by sexual abuse, some of which McGettigan said happened inthe on-campus facilities of the Penn State football team. Despite the nearly 15-year time window between today and whenvictims in the trial say their abuse took place, McGettigan saidthe witnesses would deliver credible testimony.
They are real people with real experience. You will know theywere violated, he said. The oldest victim is now 28. The time lapse in the Sandusky case is not uncommon, however itdoes provide the defense a greater opportunity to challenge thecredibility of the victims and to find corroborating evidence, saysRichard Frankel, a law professor at Drexel University s Earle MackSchool of Law in Philadelphia. Leather Dice Cup
The defense has to convince the jury why the alleged victimsdidn t come forward earlier if they could have, Mr. Frankel says.In doing so, they will drill down on the specific details of theallegations because the longer the time passes, the more memoriesthat are in the back of their head aren t recorded accurately, he says. Each alleged victim is expected to provide a reason why they waiteduntil last year to report the abuse. Jules Epstein, a law professorat the Widener University School of Law in Chester, Pa., says it is certainly not unheard of in child abuse cases for victims towait until they are adults to say they were abused. China Custom Printed Dice
Mr. Epsteinsays there are many reasons why, but the most common is that theabuse is sometimes done in the guise of love so victimsremained unaware that it was wrong. Other common reasons are shame and the fear of retaliation by theabuser. State law forbids testimony from experts, like a psychologist or asocial worker, to give jurors these reasons directly. Epstein saysit is too soon to tell if that omission will harm theprosecution s case. China Leather Coaster
It depends on the knowledge of each of the 12 jurors. If they get[why victims often wait], then it s no harm, no foul, he says. But if they truly don t get it and are thinking, If thishappened to me, I d be shouting from the rooftops, then it s aproblem. Another area for the defense to explore is to determine if any ofthe victims are motivated by money, or if their background ahistory of drug or alcohol abuse, for example suggests theycan t be trusted.
In his opening statement Monday, defense attorney Joseph Amendolapointed out that several of the witnesses have their own lawyersand one has filed a civil complaint, suggesting they have ulteriormotives beyond bringing Sandusky to justice. It is rare, it is absolutely, totally unusual for an allegedvictim to have an attorney beside them, representing them theseyoung men have a financial interest, Mr. Amendola said. The civil complaint is pending until a verdict in the criminal caseis reached.
Many witnesses besides the alleged victims are expected to take thestand for the prosecution, McGettigan said. They include formerSecond Mile employees, experts with children s service agencies,and Mike McQueary, the former Penn State assistant coach who sayshe witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in the team s shower facilitiesin February 2001. McGettigan told jurors they would also view hard evidence that willdetermine Sandusky s predatory scheming, such as love letters tothe victims from Sandusky and a list of Second Mile children withnotations about what they looked like and if they had parents. Theprosecution is also allowed to use media interviews Sandusky gavesince his November 2011 arrest.
When asked by Bob Costas of NBC ifhe was sexually attracted to young boys, Sandusky said, I enjoyyoung people. I love to be around them. But no, I m not sexuallyattracted to young boys.
Eight of the alleged victims, who are now all adults, will testify,says Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan, the leadprosecutor in the case. In opening remarks Monday morning thatlasted 50 minutes, Mr. McGettigan said the majority of Sandusky svictims did not have fathers so became dependent on him through hischildren s charity, The Second Mile. McGettigan characterized the charity as the perfect environmentfor the predatory pedophile, and said Sandusky established apattern of grooming the victims through gifts and attention,followed by sexual abuse, some of which McGettigan said happened inthe on-campus facilities of the Penn State football team. Despite the nearly 15-year time window between today and whenvictims in the trial say their abuse took place, McGettigan saidthe witnesses would deliver credible testimony.
They are real people with real experience. You will know theywere violated, he said. The oldest victim is now 28. The time lapse in the Sandusky case is not uncommon, however itdoes provide the defense a greater opportunity to challenge thecredibility of the victims and to find corroborating evidence, saysRichard Frankel, a law professor at Drexel University s Earle MackSchool of Law in Philadelphia. Leather Dice Cup
The defense has to convince the jury why the alleged victimsdidn t come forward earlier if they could have, Mr. Frankel says.In doing so, they will drill down on the specific details of theallegations because the longer the time passes, the more memoriesthat are in the back of their head aren t recorded accurately, he says. Each alleged victim is expected to provide a reason why they waiteduntil last year to report the abuse. Jules Epstein, a law professorat the Widener University School of Law in Chester, Pa., says it is certainly not unheard of in child abuse cases for victims towait until they are adults to say they were abused. China Custom Printed Dice
Mr. Epsteinsays there are many reasons why, but the most common is that theabuse is sometimes done in the guise of love so victimsremained unaware that it was wrong. Other common reasons are shame and the fear of retaliation by theabuser. State law forbids testimony from experts, like a psychologist or asocial worker, to give jurors these reasons directly. Epstein saysit is too soon to tell if that omission will harm theprosecution s case. China Leather Coaster
It depends on the knowledge of each of the 12 jurors. If they get[why victims often wait], then it s no harm, no foul, he says. But if they truly don t get it and are thinking, If thishappened to me, I d be shouting from the rooftops, then it s aproblem. Another area for the defense to explore is to determine if any ofthe victims are motivated by money, or if their background ahistory of drug or alcohol abuse, for example suggests theycan t be trusted.
In his opening statement Monday, defense attorney Joseph Amendolapointed out that several of the witnesses have their own lawyersand one has filed a civil complaint, suggesting they have ulteriormotives beyond bringing Sandusky to justice. It is rare, it is absolutely, totally unusual for an allegedvictim to have an attorney beside them, representing them theseyoung men have a financial interest, Mr. Amendola said. The civil complaint is pending until a verdict in the criminal caseis reached.
Many witnesses besides the alleged victims are expected to take thestand for the prosecution, McGettigan said. They include formerSecond Mile employees, experts with children s service agencies,and Mike McQueary, the former Penn State assistant coach who sayshe witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in the team s shower facilitiesin February 2001. McGettigan told jurors they would also view hard evidence that willdetermine Sandusky s predatory scheming, such as love letters tothe victims from Sandusky and a list of Second Mile children withnotations about what they looked like and if they had parents. Theprosecution is also allowed to use media interviews Sandusky gavesince his November 2011 arrest.
When asked by Bob Costas of NBC ifhe was sexually attracted to young boys, Sandusky said, I enjoyyoung people. I love to be around them. But no, I m not sexuallyattracted to young boys.
※コメント投稿者のブログIDはブログ作成者のみに通知されます