Tag: child sex abuse
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Divided Colorado Supreme Court opens door to experts’ views on children’s truthfulness
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that experts may, in certain situations, tell jurors whether child witnesses exhibited signs of being coached by adults, without running afoul of the general prohibition on witnesses testifying about the truthfulness of other witnesses. The majority in the 4-3 decision maintained that defendants will not “open the door”…
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El Paso County sex assault convictions overturned due to judge’s incorrect competency ruling
Colorado’s second-highest court last month vacated a man’s 15-year-old convictions for sexually assaulting a child, finding an El Paso County judge made a flawed determination that the defendant was competent to stand trial. In doing so, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals cautioned it may not be feasible to determine now whether Theodore William…
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Despite trial error, 10th Circuit upholds Mesa County man’s child sex convictions
Although a trial judge wrongly permitted jurors to see a 9-year-old video of a child victim’s accusations, the federal appeals court based in Denver upheld the sex-related convictions of a Mesa County man last month. Michael Tracy McFadden was originally convicted in state court for sexually assaulting multiple children, including on trips out of state through his…
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Boulder County judge wasn’t obligated to bail out self-represented defendant, appeals court rules
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last month that a criminal defendant in Boulder County was not unfairly forced to choose between his rights to a speedy trial and to an attorney, and, when he elected to go without an attorney, the trial judge was not obligated to save him from his own poor performance. Jurors convicted Timothy…
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As more accused priests are named, alleged victims of clergy abuse in Colorado demand change
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save As more accused priests are named, alleged victims of clergy abuse in Colorado demand change {p dir=”ltr”}Four weeks after a revelatory report from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office found that Catholic priests allegedly abused at least 166 Colorado children between 1950 and 1998, victims spoke…
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As more accused priests are named, alleged victims of clergy abuse in Colorado demand change
As more accused priests are named, alleged victims of clergy abuse in Colorado demand change {p dir=”ltr”}Four weeks after a revelatory report from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office found that Catholic priests allegedly abused at least 166 Colorado children between 1950 and 1998, victims spoke out in favor of changes to the statute of limitations.…
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Former AG Coffman endorses statute of limitations change following clergy abuse report
Former AG Coffman endorses statute of limitations change following clergy abuse report {p dir=”ltr”}Former Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has endorsed the expansion of Colorado statute of limitation’s to allow child sex abuse victims more time to sue. {p dir=”ltr”}Victim advocates and at least one state legislator already support the policy change following last week’s report…
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Colorado legislators, Archdiocese of Denver react to demands to alter statute of limitations in wake of abuse report
Colorado legislators, Archdiocese of Denver react to demands to alter statute of limitations in wake of abuse report {p dir=”ltr”}Some Colorado state lawmakers are contemplating legislation in response to calls to extend the statute of limitations for civil cases involving child sex abuse. {p dir=”ltr”}“The next step will be to take away the predator-friendly statute…
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Former state lawmaker named in Colorado attorney general’s investigation of clergy abuse
Among the priests identified in the report on clergy abuse released Wednesday by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser: Father John Beno of Pueblo’s St. Francis Xavier parish. Beno went by another title: Democratic state senator, from 1979 to 1986. According to abuse allegations detailed in the report, Beno abused two young girls. One was 5…
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What they are saying: Coloradans react to clergy abuse report
On Wednesday, Attorney General Phil Weiser released a special master’s report that determined at least 166 children were sexually abused from 1950 onward by 43 priests in three Catholic dioceses in Colorado. Here is what Coloradans and groups that work with survivors of abuse have said about the news: “I think this reflects a church-controlled…