Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30-60 years in jail today, after a judge said he was “the most insidious and depraved of criminals”.
Joseph McGettigan, the lead prosecutor in the case, issued a statement outside of court after the sentencing called the ruling a “wise and proper” one.
Sandusky was shown wearing a bullet-proof vest and red jumpsuit, where he gave a long statement denying the allegations against him. He defiantly claimed he was innocent and blamed his victims for conspiring against him.
Three of his victims told the court today of the impact Sandusky’s abuse had on them and broke down in tears when the sentence was read in court. One victim, who now has a child of his own, spoke about being unable to let his son out of his sight because of what happened to him at the hands of his former coach.
Victim number one called Sandusky the “worst kind of pedophile” for using his fame and power to victimize the helpless.
In a statement read out by prosecutor Joe McGettigan, he said of Jerry Sandusky, “There is no remorse. There is no acknowledgement of regret, only evil, no words can convey the pain and misery caused. The defendant was, and is, the most insidious and depraved of criminals. He treated his victims like sexual property and discarded them when he wanted.”
Speaking after the sentencing, McGettigan said, “Sandusky’s statement yesterday was an insult to the true victims…and an insult to human decency…but that’s not a surprise. He displayed deviance, narcissism, a lack of acknowledgement for the pain he caused others.
“It was a masterpiece of banal self-delusion. The self-referential and ludicrous statement should disappear as if it never existed. It was, in short, ridiculous. He displayed the same cowardice that he displayed when he preyed on children. The crime is not only what you did to their bodies, but the assault to their psyches and souls and the assault to the well-being of the larger community in which we all live.”
Judge John Cleland handed down the sentence, stating that the fact Sandusky continued to deny the crimes “in my view makes you dangerous”.
Judge Cleland said before he gave him the maximum of 60 years, “I’m not going to sentence you to centuries in prison, although the law would permit that. It’s too abstract, only a big number. You are sentenced to spend not less than 30 and not more than 60 years in prison; that has the unmistakeable impact of saying the rest of your life.”
Last night, the convicted child abuser released a recorded statement from his jail cell, insisting he is innocent and blaming a slew of people for orchestrating a conspiracy against him.
Click thumbnails for larger pictures
Images: AP
No comments:
Post a Comment