Child Rape Victim Must Face Her Perpetrator Every Day

In a small town in Sumner County, Tennessee, there is a very brave eight-year-old child who was raped by a thirty-seven-year-old man. The perpetrator was found guilty of 3 counts of attempted sexual assault and 1 count of rape. He was sentenced to eight years in jail. This allowed his eight-year-old victim to breathe a sigh of relief because justice prevailed and her rapist was behind bars, far away from her.

The child's mother told her daughter how brave she was for telling what happened to her, which allowed the court system to put this man away so he would not be a threat to her again.

However, just six months into his sentence, the man was released from jail and allowed to return to his home, with only 1 house between him and his eight-year-old victim. The family was given no information about the man's release. He suddenly was allowed to return to his home, living in close proximity to the eight-year-old child he had brutally victimized.

Now this young child is unable to sleep, feels severe anxieties at all times, and wonders why the judicial system failed her. She has been victimized a second time, this time by the judicial system in Sumner County, Tennessee.

After doing everything she could to be sure her rapist was properly punished for his crimes, this child must look at her rapist every day as he is allowed to travel freely to and from his home. Her mother is asking, "What am I supposed to tell her now?"

The perpetrator has been placed on lifetime supervision by the state probation department and placed on the Internet Sex Offender Registry. There is only one house between perpetrator and victim. When the child learned of her perpetrator's release, she burst into tears and asked her mother, "What went wrong?" "What if he comes and hurts me again?" These are legitimate questions asked by an eight-year-old child.

The probation department told the mother that their hands are tied because the judge in this case did not order the perpetrator to reside elsewhere. He was legally allowed to return to his home.

At the very least, the family should have been notified of the perpetrator's release in advance so they could make plans to better protect the child victim. That was not done. The mother said she would have moved prior to his release if she had known. Now since the deed is done, the mother feels like it is the perpetrator who should be forced to move and not her family.

When the child is asked what she would like the judge to do in this situation, she is quick to answer. "I don't like him. I am afraid of him. And I want him to move away."

Mom has posted a very large sign at the entrance to the neighborhood, informing others that there is a sexual perpetrator living among them. The mother also wants the law changed. She says, "If he has the right to do this then the law needs to be changed. What this has done is make my daughter a victim a twice and it's not fair."

Today, mom and all 4 of her daughters sleep together in the living room of their home with crowbars close at hand. They are all in therapy trying to deal with their fears and anxieties and all the while, the perpetrator lives in peace with just one house between them. This does not sound like justice to me.

Source: The Portland Progressive, August 13, 2008