Related News
US child sex abuser proposes castration
Print Edition
A Massachusetts man facing charges of sexually abusing 13 children, including a newborn, has offered to have himself castrated in exchange for a lighter sentence.
John Burbine, 50, was arrested in September 2012, and faces 100 criminal counts related to sexual assault of children, ranging in age from 8 days to 3-1/2 years, to whom he gained access through his wife’s unlicensed day-care business.
His attorney William Barabino said he made the suggestion in a pretrial hearing in hopes it would keep his client from spending the rest of his life in prison.
He said his client would agree to having the surgical procedure only if he was assured of a lighter sentence in exchange.
The Middlesex County District Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting Burbine, declined to comment on the proposal.
“As with all criminal matters, we are precluded by the rules of professional conduct from commenting on the existence or details of any plea negotiations,” said a spokeswoman for the district attorney.
A judge denied the request.
It is rare for a defendant in a sex-crimes trial to make such an offer, which is seen as something of a desperation move, said James Cohen, an associate professor of law at Fordham University School of Law in New York.
“It comes up when a defense attorney is in a very hard place, and the defendant doesn’t want to go to jail,” Cohen said. “Jails are not particularly receptive to sex offenders and even less so to sex offenders of very young children.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
