Abuse went on for 4yrs, claims new accuser
Source: Agencies |
December 2, 2011, Friday
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A FORMER Penn State assistant football coach sexually abused a boy more than 100 times and threatened to harm his family to keep him quiet, according to a US lawsuit filed on Wednesday by a new accuser who is not part of the criminal case.
The 29-year-old, identified only as John Doe, never told anyone about the abuse he claims to suffer until Jerry Sandusky was charged this month with abusing other boys.
His lawyer said he filed a complaint with law enforcement on Tuesday and became the first plaintiff to file suit in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal a day later.
Sandusky has acknowledged he showered with boys but denies molesting them.
The lawsuit claims Sandusky abused the boy from 1992, when he was 10, until 1996 in encounters at the coach's State College home, in a Penn State locker room and on trips, including to a bowl game. The account echoes a grand jury's description of trips, gifts and attention lavished on other boys.
In a handwritten statement read out by his lawyer at a news conference, the plaintiff said: "I am hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened, but feel even more tormented now that I have learned of so many other kids abused after me."
College football in the US is popular and the scandal has shaken the reputation of Penn State's program - one that long prided itself on integrity in an environment where the profits of endorsements and television deals have led some schools to compromise academics and the law itself.
The lawsuit seeks tens of thousands of dollars and names Sandusky, the university and Sandusky's The Second Mile charity as defendants. The man says he knew the coach through the charity, which Sandusky founded in 1977 to help disadvantaged children in central Pennsylvania.
The man is not referenced in the grand jury report charging Sandusky with abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Jeff Anderson, said he believes Sandusky was a predator who could not control his sexual impulses toward children. He criticized officials at Penn State and The Second Mile who failed to report their suspicions and put a stop to the abuse.
Anderson, who specializes in clergy sex abuse lawsuits, said: "We need to address the institutional recklessness and failures. Was it because of power, money, fear, loyalty, lack of education?"
The charity said it would respond after reviewing the lawsuit but added: "The Second Mile will adhere to its legal responsibilities throughout this process. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."
Anderson suggested the abuse ended after four years because Sandusky was not sexually interested in older teens.
The 29-year-old, identified only as John Doe, never told anyone about the abuse he claims to suffer until Jerry Sandusky was charged this month with abusing other boys.
His lawyer said he filed a complaint with law enforcement on Tuesday and became the first plaintiff to file suit in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal a day later.
Sandusky has acknowledged he showered with boys but denies molesting them.
The lawsuit claims Sandusky abused the boy from 1992, when he was 10, until 1996 in encounters at the coach's State College home, in a Penn State locker room and on trips, including to a bowl game. The account echoes a grand jury's description of trips, gifts and attention lavished on other boys.
In a handwritten statement read out by his lawyer at a news conference, the plaintiff said: "I am hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened, but feel even more tormented now that I have learned of so many other kids abused after me."
College football in the US is popular and the scandal has shaken the reputation of Penn State's program - one that long prided itself on integrity in an environment where the profits of endorsements and television deals have led some schools to compromise academics and the law itself.
The lawsuit seeks tens of thousands of dollars and names Sandusky, the university and Sandusky's The Second Mile charity as defendants. The man says he knew the coach through the charity, which Sandusky founded in 1977 to help disadvantaged children in central Pennsylvania.
The man is not referenced in the grand jury report charging Sandusky with abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Jeff Anderson, said he believes Sandusky was a predator who could not control his sexual impulses toward children. He criticized officials at Penn State and The Second Mile who failed to report their suspicions and put a stop to the abuse.
Anderson, who specializes in clergy sex abuse lawsuits, said: "We need to address the institutional recklessness and failures. Was it because of power, money, fear, loyalty, lack of education?"
The charity said it would respond after reviewing the lawsuit but added: "The Second Mile will adhere to its legal responsibilities throughout this process. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."
Anderson suggested the abuse ended after four years because Sandusky was not sexually interested in older teens.
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