Freed Child Rapist, Part II

I have a little more information on the appaling decision by a Maryland judge to let an accused child rapist go free without a trial. First of all, an apology, I put an incorrect link to the story in my earlier post. It has been fixed, and here it is again. In summary, a Liberian man who was granted asylum in the United States was accused in 2004 of repeatedly molesting a 7-year girl over the course of a year. He hasn't been tried in the intervening three years because his attorney insists (and the court agreed) that to fully understand the charges against him he needed an interpreter in his native language of Vai.

But what makes it particularly fishy is that the man attended high school and community college in the US. Additionally, the official language of Liberia is English! But the judge, Katherine D. Savage, dismissed the charges because she said the delays interfered with the defendant's right to a speedy trial.

I have a question. What about the 7 year old girl's right to justice in this case? What about the rights of any future children that this man decides to prey upon?

If that isn't outrageous enough, Michelle Malkin has a few more details on her blog, along with copies of the court documents. Apparently, he was facing charges involving not just one but two girls. Incredibly, the documents also show a court interpreter being sworn in on the very day the charges were dismissed!

I also have a couple of things to add of my own. According to the Washington Post article:

The first interpreter stormed out of the courtroom in tears because she found the facts of the case disturbing.

I wonder how she feels now, knowing that she helped set this man free?

All is not quite lost yet. Prosecutors could (and should) appeal the judge's decision, and oversight agencies, including the State Bar, and the Maryland legislature should investigate what went wrong in this case, including the conduct of the attorneys and judge Savage.

In addition, the USCIS should reconsider the man's asylum request, although from past experience, I doubt they would bother unless they were put under pressure.



Like what you see? Click on any of the labels below to read related articles, bookmark this site, or subscribe to my  RSS Feed