Posted in Felonies on December 17, 2014
A defendant in Multnomah County, Oregon, has been sentenced for the molestation of a transgender teenager (who identifies as male).
The 38-year-old was close to the victim, who reportedly viewed him as his best friend. In December 2013, the older man gave the boy alcohol, got him drunk and subjected him to sexual abuse. The teen was abused for three months before he told an adult.
A Portland defense attorney argued for probation, but the judge sentenced the defendant to three years in prison, saying that she had taken multiple factors into consideration, such as the vulnerability of the victim – the victim’s parents had recently separated and the judge felt he was also likely dealing with emotionally challenging issues of gender identity. She said she was also considering sentences judges had given others in similar cases.
The defendant was sentenced after pleading guilty to 33 counts of second-degree sexual abuse in October. When the judge gave the defendant a chance to speak in court, he declined. The deputy district attorney involved in the prosecution of the case asked for a five-year sentence. The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender and is prohibited from being around minors, including his own children. He will begin serving his sentence in January.
Source: Oregon Live, “Molested transgender teen tells abuser: ‘You were … my best friend and now you are my nightmare‘,” Aimee Green, December 17, 2014.
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