Former USA Gymnastics Doctor Sentenced 40-175 Years For Sexual AssaultsTop Stories

January 29, 2018 07:46
Former USA Gymnastics Doctor Sentenced 40-175 Years For Sexual Assaults

(Image source from: wsj.com)

After 7 days of listening from over 160 girls, women and parents the court sentences disgraced former USA gymnastics Physician Larry Nassar for upto 175 years in Michigan State Prison. Victims wept in the courtroom and accounted the abuses they had to undergo from Larry, long time Gymnastics team doctor for US. He was convicted for abusing and sexually assaulting the young female gymnasts who were entrusted to him for care.
Larry-Nassar                       Image credit: abcnews.com
Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Larry, “I’ve signed your death warrant,” he was also given 60 years imprisonment for separate child pornography crime. The judge read the letter which Larry wrote in the past week where is did not accept the charges and stated that his touching of the patients was legitimate medical therapy and called some of the victims testimony as fabricated. Judge also read Larry stated, “My treatments worked, and those patients that are now speaking out were the same ones that praised me,”

Larry sat with his head down all through the proceedings only to get up once for his short statement. He said turning towards the victims, "Your words these past several days have had a significant emotional effect on myself and have shaken me to my core." he also apologized to the victims and added further “There are no words that can describe the depth and breadth for how sorry I am for what has occurred. I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days….The media convinced them that everything I did was wrong and bad. . . . Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”

Then Judge addressed Larry directly ans stated, “It was not treatment what you did; it was not medical. I wouldn’t send my dogs to you, sir.”

With a sigh of relief for the 160 females sitting and their families supporting, the courtroom applauded for the sentence. This brought an end to the extraordinary sentence hearing which drew national and international attention in the past few days.

The first woman to have accused Larry back in 2016, Rachael Denhollander stood up and hugged the lead prosecutor Angela Povilaitis.  Povilaitis stated, "There has to be a massive investigation as to why there was inaction, why there was silence." she also asked “What does it say about our society when victims do come forward and they are automatically met with skepticism and doubt, treated as liars until proven true?”

She thanked the accusers for coming forward and stated “We have seen the worst of humanity and the best in the last couple of days . . . how one voice can start a movement, how a reckoning can deliver justice,”

Galvanized by the national outrage with the #Metoo movement, this sentencing saw a huge media coverage and public uproar. The many board members and Olympic Committee members are seen resigning and a third party investigation is put in place to understand why for so many years Larry was not caught despite multiple complaints by young gymnasts at the Michigan State University.  “As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable. As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this anger,” MSU President Lou Anna Simon said in her resignation letter. “We agree with Dr. Simon that it is now time for change,” said Brian Breslin, chair of the university’s board of trustees

Several companies like AT&T have announced that they would not continue the federation any further.

By Minu Manisha

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