CONVICTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Tatiana 27 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  south african beef

  I think that as has already been mentioned, the fact that the mother told the elders but NOT the police shows how enslaved to the society the average JW is.

  She obviously thought the elders should handle it, she probably thought they could keep the congregation 'clean'. How wrong that is! Hopefully, this verdict, including the facts that the elders tried NOT to testify, the fact that the elders didn't go to the police and the fact that these awful crimes were committed in two congregations, might at least open the eyes to some who are still blinded by the organisation.

  Glad the sentance looks like it's gonna be a long one.
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  keyser soze

  My faith in the American justice system has been temporarily restored. Excellent post!
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  MissingLink

  Good news!

  If the elders had been conviced on the purgury they commited it would be even better.
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  Tatiana

  Oh, to be a fly on the wall when those elders got home. I'm sure they had a private meeting at the KH to discuss it. I wonder if they will change how they report things now. Maybe one of them will have a conscience and from now on won't call headquarters first. I can hope, right? Maybe the next little girl will get justice.
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  r51785

  Some have asked about the second molestation charge which Simental will be tried on in May. This incident occurred at the same pool party where the two sisters were molested. I attended the trial and got the impression that this had just come to light, so therefore the elders in question would not have dealt with it when they had the judicial committee meeting with Simental.
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  Scully

  So, we now have a precedent in which things discussed in judicial hearings are not pretected by clergy-penitent privilege?

  A prior case in California set the precedent that Judicial Committee™ investigations and hearings do not meet the standard for ecclesiastical privilege.

  • If the investigation/hearing comes as a result of a complaint from another individual, the confession is not truly a voluntary one on the part of the "defendant", which does not meet the standard for ecclesiastical privilege.
  • Even in the case of a voluntary confession by the "defendant", the fact that there is more than one person hearing the confession during the course of the investigation/hearing does not meet the standard for ecclesiastical privilege.
  • The underlying threat of congregational discipline, in the form of DFing, Public Reproof™ and Local Needs Talks™ describing the behaviour being disciplined, does not meet the standard for ecclesiastical privilege.

  I feel that this precedent is going to be the undoing of all molestation cases that went before JW Judicial Committees™.
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  AK - Jeff

  I would surmise very little chance that anyone will file civil suits here.

  The mother did the 'theocratic' thing by contacting elders instead of police. The school contacted police. Once the matter was brought to court, she was compelled [more or less] to testify against her 'brother', much as the elders were. In the minds of these people enough damage has been done to Jehovah's name already.

  Jeff
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  loosie