Sex abuse of child sends Texas relative to jail for eight years

Child sexual abuse is a crime often perpetrated by someone the victim knows. Abusers can be trusted authority figures like athletic coaches, religious leaders and teachers or even someone in the victim’s own family.

A Dallas court recently sentenced a 41-year-old man for the sexual abuse of a young male relative. The victim was under the age of 12 when the convicted family member abused and tried to sodomize him. The defendant pleaded guilty to four criminal charges, all felonies.

The 41-year-old defendant will spend more than eight years in prison for the sex crimes.

Police arrested the relative last summer. The child told authorities that the sexual assaults happened over two years. Rape and sexual abuse were among more than a dozen charges brought against the Polk County man.

The sentencing included two statements, one from the boy’s mother that was read to the court by the district attorney. It described the terror her child experienced over the years of sexual abuse. A second statement was written by the victim. The child professed a wish for the convicted relative to die in prison.

The defendant’s attorney said his client required treatment to help him to overcome the sexual abuse he also experienced as a child. The man will undergo counseling as part of the sentence, a plea deal negotiated with the district attorney.

Authorities will follow the defendant’s activities for five years after his release from prison. The Texas man was forbidden to contact any children under age 16.

The damage caused by sex offenders may take years or a lifetime for a victim to learn to manage. Children who have been sexually molested may become sexual predators themselves without the proper treatment.

The parent of a sexually traumatized child may file a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of the victim. A jury would assess the evidence of harm inflicted upon the child and could award economic compensation for a child’s suffering and expenses for a long-term recovery.

Source: polkio.com, “Sex abuse of child nets eight-year term,” Dec. 5, 2012