Some pathetic news from Massachussetts:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/atta09072000.htm
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Man guilty of sexual attack on boy won't go to jail
by David Weber
Thursday, September 7, 2000
The grandmother of an 11-year-old sexual assault victim wept yesterday after hearing Judge Maria Lopez hand down a no-jail sentence to the boy's attacker, a transsexual who was given one year of home detention with permission to attend college and counseling sessions to ease his transgender process.
During a plea-bargain sentence yesterday in Middlesex Superior Court, Lopez called the kidnapping and attempted rape case against Charles Horton, 22, of Dorchester, one of the more ``low-level'' child sex assault cases she had seen in her 12 years on the bench.
``I don't think the judge would feel the same way if it was her grandson we were talking about,'' said the tearful grandmother, whose name is withheld to protect the identity of her grandson.
On the afternoon of Nov. 20 on Corona Street in Dorchester, Horton, dressed as a woman, lured the boy into ``her'' car under the pretense of needing help find ``her'' lost son, according to Suffolk County prosecutor David Deakin. Horton then drove the boy to deserted parking lot behind a warehouse at 50 Park St. and held a screwdriver to his neck while demanding oral sex, Deakin said.
Yesterday in court Horton admitted to putting his finger and the screwdriver in the boy's mouth at various times while they were in the car.
The assault was interrupted when Boston police officers literally caught Horton with his pants down after they noticed the car parked suspiciously in the lot and moved in to investigate.
Deakin had requested a sentence of eight to 10 years and 10 years of probation after Horton pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent to rape a child, kidnapping, indecent assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a screwdriver) and assault and battery.
Lopez called Deakin ``disingenuous,'' portraying the case more gravely than she considered it.
A visibly perturbed Lopez, noting that Horton is a man who dresses and and lives as a woman, asked Deakin, ``What kind of prison would you suggest I send the defendant to - men's or women's?''
Lopez then sentenced Horton to five years of probation and one year of home detention with an electronic monitoring device. Lopez said Horton would be allowed to leave home to attend college classes, church three times a week, and various medical and counseling appointments. Lopez ordered Horton to stay away from the victim and anyone else under age 16.
The judge originally was set to hand out the same sentence Aug. 4 while she sat in Suffolk Superior Court, but postponed it that day because she claimed media coverage attempted to portray the transgender defendant as a ``circus'' figure. She also chided the Suffolk district attorney's office for alerting the press to the case.
The victim's grandmother, a Dorchester woman who sat in court all day Aug. 4 only to hear the sentencing postponed, journeyed to the Cambridge courthouse yesterday fully expecting a no-jail sentence for her grandson's assailant.
But she lost control of her emotions outside the courtroom after hearing what she considered Lopez' callous remarks about the seriousness of the case.
``Oh yes, this is very serious,'' said the grandmother, who was in tears. ``I don't know what she calls serious. What kind of man or woman or whatever could do that to my grandson? It's not a joke. I'm very upset.''
Trial Court spokeswoman Joan Kenney, speaking on behalf of Lopez, said the judge's remarks should not be construed as being unfeeling toward the victim's family. ``Knowing Judge Lopez, I'm sure they weren't intended that way.''
Horton's defense lawyer, Anne Goldbach, lauded Lopez for making a ``wise'' and ``informed'' decision on the sentence.
``I do feel it (the sentence) was appropriate under the circumstances,'' Goldbach said. ``The judge heard a lot about my client's background and made what I feel was an appropriate disposition.''
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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/atta09072000.htm
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Man guilty of sexual attack on boy won't go to jail
by David Weber
Thursday, September 7, 2000
The grandmother of an 11-year-old sexual assault victim wept yesterday after hearing Judge Maria Lopez hand down a no-jail sentence to the boy's attacker, a transsexual who was given one year of home detention with permission to attend college and counseling sessions to ease his transgender process.
During a plea-bargain sentence yesterday in Middlesex Superior Court, Lopez called the kidnapping and attempted rape case against Charles Horton, 22, of Dorchester, one of the more ``low-level'' child sex assault cases she had seen in her 12 years on the bench.
``I don't think the judge would feel the same way if it was her grandson we were talking about,'' said the tearful grandmother, whose name is withheld to protect the identity of her grandson.
On the afternoon of Nov. 20 on Corona Street in Dorchester, Horton, dressed as a woman, lured the boy into ``her'' car under the pretense of needing help find ``her'' lost son, according to Suffolk County prosecutor David Deakin. Horton then drove the boy to deserted parking lot behind a warehouse at 50 Park St. and held a screwdriver to his neck while demanding oral sex, Deakin said.
Yesterday in court Horton admitted to putting his finger and the screwdriver in the boy's mouth at various times while they were in the car.
The assault was interrupted when Boston police officers literally caught Horton with his pants down after they noticed the car parked suspiciously in the lot and moved in to investigate.
Deakin had requested a sentence of eight to 10 years and 10 years of probation after Horton pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent to rape a child, kidnapping, indecent assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a screwdriver) and assault and battery.
Lopez called Deakin ``disingenuous,'' portraying the case more gravely than she considered it.
A visibly perturbed Lopez, noting that Horton is a man who dresses and and lives as a woman, asked Deakin, ``What kind of prison would you suggest I send the defendant to - men's or women's?''
Lopez then sentenced Horton to five years of probation and one year of home detention with an electronic monitoring device. Lopez said Horton would be allowed to leave home to attend college classes, church three times a week, and various medical and counseling appointments. Lopez ordered Horton to stay away from the victim and anyone else under age 16.
The judge originally was set to hand out the same sentence Aug. 4 while she sat in Suffolk Superior Court, but postponed it that day because she claimed media coverage attempted to portray the transgender defendant as a ``circus'' figure. She also chided the Suffolk district attorney's office for alerting the press to the case.
The victim's grandmother, a Dorchester woman who sat in court all day Aug. 4 only to hear the sentencing postponed, journeyed to the Cambridge courthouse yesterday fully expecting a no-jail sentence for her grandson's assailant.
But she lost control of her emotions outside the courtroom after hearing what she considered Lopez' callous remarks about the seriousness of the case.
``Oh yes, this is very serious,'' said the grandmother, who was in tears. ``I don't know what she calls serious. What kind of man or woman or whatever could do that to my grandson? It's not a joke. I'm very upset.''
Trial Court spokeswoman Joan Kenney, speaking on behalf of Lopez, said the judge's remarks should not be construed as being unfeeling toward the victim's family. ``Knowing Judge Lopez, I'm sure they weren't intended that way.''
Horton's defense lawyer, Anne Goldbach, lauded Lopez for making a ``wise'' and ``informed'' decision on the sentence.
``I do feel it (the sentence) was appropriate under the circumstances,'' Goldbach said. ``The judge heard a lot about my client's background and made what I feel was an appropriate disposition.''
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