Negative news is often distressing to hear, and that is underscored in every instance where details surrounding child sexual abuse surface.
And yet, while the subject matter is at once dramatic, explosive and tremendously sad, acknowledging with candor that the sexual abuse of children occurs often in California and nationally is a flat imperative. It is necessary to fully spotlight the scourge and better ensure that every effort is made to eradicate it.
Although every child sex abuse case involves repelling outlier behavior, some reports feature details that are almost horrific beyond belief. A jury trial just concluded in Fresno is a prime example of that.
Its bottom line: The defendant was convicted on multiple child molestation counts and now faces a stunning potential prison term of 1,882 years.
That wouldn't be enough for one case insider commenting in the trial's wake.
"We can't give child molesters enough time in prison," she stated.
The case features many elements common to child molestation matters. For starters, the defendant was -- or should have been -- solidly on the radar of authorities, having been previously convicted years back on similar charges in another state. Moreover, he was viewing and distributing child pornography in vast amounts on the Internet. Additionally, he produced scores of videos that filmed his illegal conduct with young children. And he had a prior guilty charge on record for failure to timely update his registered sex offender status.
Enforcement agents say that the case was further distinguished by the active role taken by the perpetrator in instructing fellow pedophiles how to groom potential victims.