News From Massachusetts, and More MARCI A. HAMILTON Legions of victims of child sex abuse will tell you that when they were finally ready to talk to a prosecutor or a lawyer, the criminal and/or civil statutes of limitations (SOLs) had already expired. Across the United States, one victim after another has been surprised by these cruel and arbitrary legal deadlines. For decades, states have been adjusting their child sex abuse SOLs in response to fresh stories of horror. At one time, states measured the SOL from the date of the abuse, giving victims only a few years in which to sue. Then, they set age 18 as the moment when the clock started ticking. Now, we have a true 50-state experiment, with a wide variety of approaches among the states. There is one common theme, however: States are constantly working to extend their child sex abuse SOLs, because there is always a new victim with a compelling story that shows lawmakers the folly of having any SOL at all for the heinous crime of child sex abuse. Read more...By John Martin, Inquirer Staff Writer A defrocked Philadelphia priest is expected to plead guilty to sexually molesting a young altar boy. Edward Avery, 68, was a parish priest in the 1990s when he allegedly raped the fifth grader. He faces 13.5 to 27 years for his expected guilty plea. Avert is a codefendant in the case against Msgr. William J. Lynn, the church official charged with endangering children by allegedly failing to properly respond to abuse allegations. This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
Action Alert: Come join this great group advocating for children! WHAT: 5th Annual Bikers Against Child Abuse Awareness Rally WHEN: April 3, 2012 from 2pm to 3pm WHERE: PA State Capitol, Third Street, Harrisburg, PA WHO: B.A.C.A. ® is an internationally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers and lends support to children who have been abused. Our Mission Statement clearly states our organizations intentions: Bikers Against Child Abuse ® exists with the intent to create a safer environment for abused children. We exist as a body of bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live. We stand ready to lend support to our wounded friends by involving them in an established, united organization. We work in conjunction with local and state officials who are already in place to protect children. We desire to send a clear message to all who are involved with the abused child that this child is part of our organization, and that we are prepared to lend our physical and emotional support to them by affiliation and our physical presence. We stand at the ready to shield these children from further abuse. We do not condone the use of violence or physical force in any manner; however, if circumstances arise such that we are the only obstacle preventing a child from further abuse, we stand ready to be that obstacle.
Director says case has left group 'broke' By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Attorneys who deposed the director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in January are requesting he be compelled to give more testimony and allege that the group is not covered by confidentiality protections afforded to rape crisis centers, court filings reveal. The documents, dated Feb. 10 but obtained by NCR on Wednesday, relate to a Kansas City, Mo., court case that made headlines in December when it became the first where lawyers sought the deposition of a SNAP leader and requested that the organization hand over 23 years of internal records, correspondence and email. Speaking to NCR, David Clohessy, the group's director and subject of the Jan. 2 deposition, said the continuing legal battle over the case has left the group "basically broke" and "without enough money for the next payroll." Read more...By John P. Martin, Inquirer Staff Writer The Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Friday suspended its top lawyer, less than two weeks before a trial that could shine a spotlight on the role he and other church lawyers played in the handling of decades of child-sex-abuse allegations. In an e-mail to employees and pastors, archdiocesan officials said general counsel Timothy R. Coyne was placed on administrative leave but did not say why. Coyne could not be reached late Friday. Representatives for Archbishop Charles J. Chaput declined to comment. "This is a personnel issue, and we won't be discussing it publicly," spokesman Kenneth Gavin said. Coyne had been in-house counsel for the church for at least six years. Before that, he worked at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young L.L.P., the Philadelphia law firm that for years handled legal matters for the archdiocese. Chaput cut ties to Stradley Ronon last fall, hiring separate firms to represent the church in criminal and civil matters. Read more...By Carolyn Davis, Inquirer Staff Writer Tammy Lerner grew up in a big, close-knit family in central Pennsylvania. Everyone lived near one another, celebrated holidays together, and respected the elders as the strong-willed heads of the extended household. When some family members heard allegations that young Tammy and a couple of cousins were being sexually abused by two of their uncles, they protected their kin. The accused abusers, that is. "My story is not exceptional," said Lerner, now 41 and vice president of the Bryn Mawr-based Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse. Families riven by possible child molestation - when accuser and accused are related - often wrap themselves in secrecy. They hush accusations, experts say, to avoid social stigma or keep the family intact. Relatives take sides, creating divisions that inflict an additional layer of pain. Read more...Sandusky federal investigation may have different focus From Sara Ganim, for CNN (CNN) -- It's fairly clear the federal investigation into Penn State University won't be a duplication of the grand jury probe that led to charges of more than 50 counts of child sex abuse against Jerry Sandusky. Instead, federal authorities seem to be stepping into areas where the state attorney general's office hasn't gone. This time, they seem to be exploring the possibility of a cover-up at Penn State, as well as possible bribes, fraud, or misuse of federal money, according to three former federal prosecutors asked to independently review the subpoena Penn State received February 2. And on the case is one of the most experienced and respected assistant U.S. attorneys in the region, Gordon Zubrod. The subpoena asks for: -- payments made by university board members to third parties. -- records of complaints, interviews or out-of-court settlements regarding Sandusky, a former coach at the university. -- computer hard drives. -- correspondence with Sandusky's children's charity, The Second Mile. Read more...By SARA GANIM, The Patriot-News Jerry Sandusky, along with his attorney Joe Amendola, enters the Centre County courthouse for a hearing on several issues, including two requests: one, from the prosecution, for an out-of-county jury; the other, from the defense, for loosened bail conditions for Sandusky. JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News It's fairly clear the federal investigation into Penn State University won't be a duplication of the grand jury probe that led to more than 50 counts of child sex abuse charges against Jerry Sandusky. Instead, federal authorities seem to be stepping into areas where the state attorney general's office hasn't gone. This time, they seem to be exploring the possibility of a cover-up at Penn State, as well as possible bribes, fraud, or misuse of federal money, according to three former federal prosecutors who were asked by The Patriot-News to independently review the subpoena Penn State received Feb. 2. Read more...By SARA GANIM, The Patriot-News Federal investigators are looking at trails of money from Penn State and its board of trustees, computer hard drives of top officials and complaints that the university might have received about Jerry Sandusky or his charity, The Second Mile. The information was released by Penn State on Friday after news that it had been subpoenaed by the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The subpoena seems to indicate that the feds are conducting an investigation simultaneously with the one by a state grand jury, which led to more than 50 counts of child sex abuse charges against Jerry Sandusky and perjury charges against two top Penn State officials. It also seems to show that The Second Mile could be under investigation, too. Read more...Philadelphia secretary of clergy charged with endangering children By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter The trial for the first church official charged with the cover-up of child sexual abuse is under way in Philadelphia, as jury selection began Feb. 21 for Msgr. William J. Lynn and two codefendants. Lynn faces charges of felony child endangerment and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege the former archdiocesan secretary of clergy recommended parish assignments for the codefendants, Fr. James J. Brennan and former priest Edward Avery, that would place them in contact with children, knowing they had abused or been accused of abusing children in the past. Brennan and Avery will stand alongside Lynn when the trial opens March 26. Both men face charges of molesting the same St. Jerome Parish altar boy on separate occasions. All three have pleaded not guilty. The archdiocese, called an unindicted coconspirator by the prosecution, is covering Lynn's legal fees. Read more...New court filing says Allentown bishop, four others knew of 35 allegedly abusive priests By Peter Hall and Matt Assad, Of The Morning Call Nearly two decades ago, Allentown Bishop Edward Cullen was one of two or three high-ranking clergy present when the head of the Philadelphia Archdiocese ordered the shredding of a list of 35 priests suspected of sexually abusing children, according to a recent court filing in Philadelphia. A copy of that list and a 1994 memo recording Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua's instructions to destroy it has turned up in the case of Monsignor William Lynn, a former archdiocesan official charged with endangering the welfare of children and conspiracy for allegedly enabling priests to molest children. Lynn's attorneys have claimed the documents are proof of a conspiracy by Bevilacqua; Cullen, who was then the cardinal's top aide; Cullen's then assistant, Monsignor James Molloy; and Lynn's then assistant, the Rev. Joseph Cistone, to hide sexual abuse allegations. They called for the dismissal of charges against Lynn, which were filed last year after the second of two Philadelphia grand jury investigations into allegations of sexual abuse by priests. Read more...Inquirer Editorial With the deeply troubling disclosure that Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua ordered aides to shred a memo identifying 35 suspected predator priests, there's no longer any question that Pennsylvania should give victims of long-ago abuse an avenue to have their day in court. The revelations about Bevilacqua present a textbook illustration of what's at stake in victims' efforts to uncover the truth about the apparent cover-up of alleged abuse by clergy spanning decades. The cardinal died Jan. 31, on the eve of the sex-abuse trial of a former church administrator and two former parish priests. Just as two Philadelphia grand juries concluded, Bevilacqua's reported 1994 shredding directive, brought to light only last week, appears to confirm that there was a carefully orchestrated effort by Archdiocese of Philadelphia officials to shield predators. Read more...Deccan Herald, Bangalore, Feb 29, 2012 As many as 42 children were rescued from an orphanage late Wednesday night, following complaints of severe physical and sexual abuse. Twenty-three girls and 19 boys were rescued from Church of Christ Home located in Challaghatta by teams from Child Rights Commission, Child Welfare Committee, Childline Bangalore and HAL Airport police. The manager of the orphanage Charles and another person John Williams have been arrested by the Airport police. According to one of the members involved in the rescue operation, the children were found to bear marks of brutality and in a severely traumatic condition. The home was registered as a society and not registered either with the Child Welfare Committee or the Department of Women and Child Development as an orphanage. The children are aged between six and 17 years. The girls have been sent to two centres run by NGOs APSA and Bosco in accordance with the directions of the Child Welfare Committee. A complaint has been lodged with the police and the matter is under investigation.
2 handguns found in raid on suspect's home, Carol Stream police say By Clifford Ward and Michelle Manchir, Chicago Tribune A Wheaton College professor who taught a class and wrote books about children's spirituality was ordered held in lieu of $750,000 bail Friday on possession of child pornography and weapons charges. Donald Ratcliff, 60, was arrested Thursday by Carol Stream police after authorities learned his computer Internet address was associated with trading child pornography, including images of children younger than 13, DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney Anne Therieau said. Also, police found two handguns and 1,600 rounds of ammunition, Therieau said. He was charged with possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card and possession of ammunition without an FOID card. Read more...By Crimesider Staff. Daily Blotter (CBS/AP) HARRISBURG, Pa. - On Wednesday, the judge in Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse case rejected a defense attorney's request for a two-month delay. He also indicated he was reluctant to push back the May 14 start of jury selection. Judge John Cleland's memo and order said a postponement should only be a last resort and would require concrete justification. "Absent extraordinary circumstances presented by either the commonwealth or the defendant, postponement of the trial date will only be considered if required by the demands of selecting a jury and providing for their care, conflicting demands on courtroom space, or similar logistical complications," Cleland said. Read more...
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