Phoenix, AZ-8 yo girl brutally sexually assaulted by 4 boys

[MuffyBee]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/07/23/20090723abrk-phxsexassault23-ON.html
Oldest boy in assault of girl to be tried as adult
by Amanda Lee Myers - Jul. 24, 2009 12:00 AM
Associated Press
Authorities said Thursday that four boys ages 9 to 14 took turns raping an 8-year-old girl behind a shed for more than 10 minutes in what Phoenix police are calling one of the most horrific cases they've ever seen.

The outrage over the allegations intensified after police said the girl's parents criticized her after the attack and blamed her for bringing shame on the family.

"The father told the caseworker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said, 'Take her, I don't want her,' " police Sgt. Andy Hill said.

The 14-year-old boy was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. He appeared in court Thursday and is being held without bond.

The other boys - ages 9, 10, and 13 - were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping, the office said Thursday.

Phoenix investigators said the boys lured the girl to an empty shed July 16 under the pretense of offering her gum. The boys held the girl down while they took turns assaulting her, police said.

"She was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes," Hill said.

Officers responding to an emergency call reporting hysterical screams found the girl partially clothed and the boys running from the scene.

"This is a deeply disturbing case that has gripped our community," Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said Thursday. "Our office will seek justice for the young victim in this heartrending situation."

Hill cited the family's background as the reason the family shunned the girl. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.

In some parts of Africa, women often are blamed for being raped for enticing men or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Girls who are raped are often shunned by their families.

"It's a shame-based culture, so the crime is not as important as protecting the family name and the name of the community," said Tony Weedor, a Liberian refugee in Littleton, Colo., and co-founder of the CenterPoint International Foundation, which helps Liberians resettle in the U.S. "I just feel so sorry for this little girl. Some of these people will not care about the trauma she's going through - they're more concerned about the shame she brought on the family."

Ali Keita, a Liberian refugee and president of the Arizona Mandingo Association, works with refugees to ease their integration into U.S. society. Keita said that Liberian families may question why sexual-assault victims were in a situation that left them open for attack but that the initial response likely stems from disappointment and frustration with the family's circumstances.

"(As a parent), you feel like you've failed . . . to protect them," Keita said.

In recent years, Liberia has made efforts to combat rape under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has sought to dispel the stigma associated with sexual assault by publicly acknowledging that she was herself the victim of attempted rape during the country's civil war.

The girl's healing process will be particularly difficult, said Paul Penzone of Childhelp, which aids young victims of crime. Authorities said the victim was in the care of Child Protective Services.

"These four boys used what was a ploy to entice her to a place where they could take advantage of her almost like a pack of wolves," he said.

"And what's so disturbing beyond the initial crime is the fact that a child needs to have somewhere to feel safe, and you would think that would be in a home with her own family," not in state custody, Penzone said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/Whos-to-blame-in-sex-assault-of-girl-Father-says/vVnrS0arLEWOaKd4GxrTJQ.cspx
Who's to blame in sex assault of girl? Father says nobody
Reported by: ABC15.com staff
Last Update: 11:35 am
PHOENIX - The President of Liberia is voicing her opinion on an Arizona story creating outrage around the world.

After an 8-year-old Phoenix girl was sexually assaulted by four boys last week, police said her parents blamed their daughter for the attack.

The parents also apparently said their daughter had brought shame on the family.

Those four boys are now under arrest, and the young victim is in Child Protective Services, away from her mom and dad.

The President of Liberia called into CNN on Friday morning, saying rape is a problem in Liberia as well as the United States.

"This is not a question of shame on a family.. it's a question of assault on a young child and that can not be tolerated," said President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

"I think that family is wrong," she added. "Clearly, [the boys] are doing something that's no longer acceptable in our society...We just want to make sure the parents take care of that child.. and to make sure she is put in a situation where she can be administered to, can be loved and cared."

Earlier this week, the girl's father told ABC15 he loved his daughter and planned to get her back.

"I need her back, I want her back, and they (Child Protective Services) said I can have her back in three months," he said.

The father also said the family moved to the United States five years ago from West Africa and they don't understand the United States' criminal system.

When asked what he wants to happen to the suspects involved in the assault against his daughter, he answered, "nothing."

Police are exploring what impact culture may have played in the incident and in the parent's response.
The four sex assault suspects in the crime apparently lured the girl into a vacant shed near 43rd Avenue and Thomas Road last Thursday by offering her chewing gum, said Phoenix Police Sgt. Andy Hill.

They then restrained her, and sexually assaulted her for 10 to 15 minutes, according to Hill.

Officers were called to the scene after receiving phone calls about the young girl screaming, and running out of the shed partially clothed.

Arriving officers said they saw several boys running from the scene, and were able to detain one and later identify three more.

Hill said all the boys, ages 9, 10, 13 and 14, have been arrested and put in a juvenile corrections center. All four have apparently admitted to planning the assault and have been charged in the case.
One of the boys, identified as 14-year-old Steven Tuopeh, is being tried as an adult for the crimes, facing two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping.

The 13-year-old suspect is accused of three counts of sexual assault, and one count of kidnapping. The 10-year-old is accused of two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. The 9-year-old suspect is accused of one count of sexual assault. All of the crimes listed are class 2 felonies.

According to authorities, the girl's parents said they blame their daughter for the assault and for bringing shame on her family.

A relative at the girl's home said the statement was untrue but declined to elaborate.

According to the victim's family, the 8-year-old victim wanted to go to a party and left the home.

"Looked around, I look around and she was not here," said the 8-year-old's father.

Femi Babarinde, an African Studies professor from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, said it is normal to feel shame because of a rape in the family in the Liberian culture.

"When you look at the shame culture in African societies it basically means something negative happened and it affects not only that individual [the victim] but the family and extended family," said Babarinde. "They may be reacting to the attention that this will get and the knowledge of this within the community that could be a source of embarrassment."

Babarinde said if CPS decides to give the girl back to the family, her parents will need intensive counseling.

"Part of the counseling will be to have them understand that this is a different setting and a different environment in the United States. Laws are in place and, if things like this happen, it's criminal behavior and one the family will have to understand. It will not go unpunished. And part of the healing process is for the family to rally around the girl herself," said Babarinde.

Many of you are sounding off about the story in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

"I don't know who are the worst animals here, the boys or the parents," said ABC15.com reader StayathomeMom.

"These families are refuges and still have the mindset of the country they have been delivered from," reader j2bears added.

Add your own comment right now at the bottom of this page.
Liberian Ambassador responds
"Having heard the story myself, I'm outraged. In Liberia, the family and law enforcement officers would be embracing the victim. To hear that the family is not doing that, that should be an isolated case."
Edwin Sele
Deputy Ambassador of Liberia to the United States

[cookie]

it is just shocking that the family of this little girl is blaming her and not standing by her! I saw the mother and the sister on HLN and they totally blame her, want the boys released etc...poor little mite! Also, they said that there are lots of calls from families who want to adopt this little girl..
If they come to the US, they need to abide by our laws and follow the customary rules that are of our country..If we committed a crime in their land, we would not be able to plead ignorance jmo...
grrrrr....I am so angry for this little girl right now!
I hope that she is not given back to her family...I think that they will abuse her and make her feel terrible about herself for her whole life for what happened to her!

[MuffyBee]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHILDREN_SEX_ASSAULT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
ul 24, 8:17 PM EDT

Girl shunned by family after rape sparks outcry

By JONATHAN J. COOPER and TERRY TANG
Associated Press Writers
 PHOENIX (AP) -- Lured by promises of chewing gum and raped in a shed by four boys barely older than her, an 8-year-old Liberian girl is now in foster care and living with strangers instead of the family that raised her and brought her to America.

The alleged sexual assault in Phoenix has sparked an international outcry, reaching all the way to the president of Liberia, the home country of the girl's family and the four young suspects.

"They should help that child who has been traumatized and they should make sure that they work with the U.S. law authorities to see what can be done about the other young boys who have committed this offense," Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told CNN. "Not only should they abide by the law, but they too need serious counseling because clearly they are doing something, something that is no longer acceptable in our society here."

Sirleaf has tried to combat rape in recent years, seeking to dispel stigmas by publicly acknowledging that she was herself the victim of attempted rape during the country's civil war.

But experts who study the developing world say the parents' reaction highlights the struggles of many women around the globe.

"They're always being blamed for everything," said Monica Westin, founder of World of Hope International, which promotes human rights. "It's always the girl's fault. There's no gender equality."

Westin said West African refugees often keep in touch with friends and relatives back home and try to maintain their culture. Many have grown up uneducated and find it hard to change their customs.

"Sometimes it's like they never left the village," she said. "They have this extended family, they stick together."

A 14-year-old boy was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. He appeared in court Thursday and was being held without bond.

A public defender assigned to represent him did not immediately respond to a message left Friday afternoon.

The other boys - ages 9, 10, and 13 - were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping, the office said Thursday.

Police say the girl's father told a police officer and a Child Protective Services worker that he doesn't want her anymore.

But Slueue Goe, who is from Liberia and identified himself as the uncle of the 9- and 10-year-old suspects, said he knows the girl's parents and doesn't believe allegations that they blamed or shunned their daughter

He denied that his nephews are capable of sexual assault, and said his country does not have a problem with rape.

"We are from West Africa. We are well-behaved people. We are trained people. It is our culture to respect," Goe said.

The children come from a country torn by a civil war that brought decades of violence and exposed generations of children to brutality before its end in 2003.

"What you're seeing here is the very long legacy and reach of the violence that took over Liberia for 70 years," said Pamela Scully, a professor of women's studies and African studies at Emory University in Atlanta. "When you're dealing with children this young, they're mimicking actions they've seen, they've heard about, they've grown up with."

President Sirleaf said she would ask Liberian Ambassador Milton Barnes to work with the family and Phoenix authorities to ensure the girl's protection.

The Liberian embassy in Washington did not return calls from The Associated Press.

Most residents of the sprawling complex where the rape allegedly occurred were tightlipped when asked about the incident.

Ben Haines, who lives across the street from the building, said he was disturbed that the 8-year-old girl's parents supposedly blamed the assault on her.

"That just sounds so wrong. She's barely old enough to know about that," Haines said.

[cookie]

I am so outraged by these parents of this little girl...she must feel so ashamed and so sad...and she did nothing wrong!

[Sister]

Cookie I so agree.  Can you imagine growing up in a culture where this notion is accepted as the way it should be?  I don't know why I was blessed to be born in America, but I am thankful for it everyday.  This story is just a sliver of what happens to girls and women in other parts of the world.
 

[cookie]

Cookie I so agree.  Can you imagine growing up in a culture where this notion is accepted as the way it should be?  I don't know why I was blessed to be born in America, but I am thankful for it everyday.  This story is just a sliver of what happens to girls and women in other parts of the world.
 

I know Sister...it is horrible..look what used to and maybe still does happen to little girls in China...given up because they were not boys!
those boys who did the rape are here in the US...they can not plead ignorance of the law...if we went to their country and broke the law, we would not get any pity!
I don't think that they should be released, but put in juvvie or a foster home with counseling and remain there until they know the enormity of what they did to this little girl.. and she needs to go to a home where someone will appreciate her and will protect her from boys like this and from her own family who does not value her simply because of her gender.jmo

[MuffyBee]

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015899227?Police Get Calls From Across US Over 8-Year-Old Girl's Rape
Police Get Calls From Across US Over 8-Year-Old Girl's Rape; Liberian President Outrage

July 25, 2009 12:09 p.m. EST


Mayur Pahilajani - AHN News Writer

Phoenix, AZ (AHN) - The sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl in Arizona, has prompted outrage across the U.S. and attracted criticism from Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The girl, a Liberian refugee in Phoenix, was raped by four boys, following which she was disowned by her parents who reportedly said that she had shamed them.

Sirleaf said that she was "saddened" and "deeply distressed" by the behavior of the parents of the girl.

Police officials said late Friday that they have received calls from all over the country to offer help or to adopt the young girl, who is under the care of the Arizona Child Protective Service.

All the four boys, ages between 9 and 14, have been charged in the case. The incident occurred on July 16.

The boys, who are also Liberian refugees, lured the girl to a storage room by offering her chewing gum.

The oldest suspect, who is 14 years old, will be tried as an adult on counts of kidnapping and sexual assault. 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/07/26/20090726father0727-ON.html

Liberian father says doctor told him his daughter wasn't raped
by Richard Ruelas - Jul. 27, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
The father of the 8-year-old girl whom Phoenix police say was sexually assaulted at an apartment complex said Sunday that doctors initially told him that his daughter had not been attacked.

The father, a Liberian refugee, also said he never told officers to take his daughter away because the sexual assault brought shame upon his family.

"I brought her here," he said of his daughter who, along with the family, journeyed from Africa to west Phoenix in 2004. "I need her back."

The Republic is not naming the father in order to protect the identity of the girl.

Police say that four boys, all Liberian refugees ages 14 through 9, held the girl down in a storage shed at a west Phoenix apartment complex on July 16 and took turns attacking her. Police said they lured her into the shed with chewing gum.

Police also said the girl was placed in the custody of state Child Protective Services because the father said she brought shame to the family and told authorities to take her away.

The father said Sunday that he said nothing of the sort. "Any police that can look at my face," he said, "they know I did not want them to take the child."

Sgt. Andy Hill, a Phoenix police spokesman, said the father's comments about his daughter bringing shame to the family were heard by at least four people, including a Child Protective Services worker. "Nobody had any problems with misinterpreting what was said, in English."

He said the determination of a sexual assault in this case was made because of physical evidence obtained at the hospital.

"It was built based on all kinds of evidence," Hill said. "Physical and medical evidence."

The father also said he wished that the interview with his daughter was held in front of him. "They cannot be in front of us and ask her?" he said.

Hill said every child involved in the case, both the suspects and the victims, was interviewed with parental consent. "They're going to be interviewed in accordance with guidelines," he said.

He said it would not be productive for the police department to dispute what the father of the victim said in this case, but saidofficers often deal with family members who try to retract certain statements they regret.

The father said that police came to his apartment and asked to talk to his daughter. They told him they suspected she had been raped and told him they needed to take her to the hospital.

After a five-hour examination at St. Joseph's Hospital, the father said, a woman he was believed was a doctor told him that his daughter was fine.

"I asked her twice, anything wrong with her? Anything took place?" he said. "She said, 'No, nothing happened to her.'."

The father said he felt relief. "When the doctor told us nothing happened to her, I feel all right," he said. "I feel happy."

That medical opinion also made sense, he said, because he had not noticed any recent emotional or physical changes in his daughter.

"If anything was damaged, she would be at home, quiet," he said. Instead, he said she would play with friends like normal, running around the apartment complex. He said she never complained of any pain.

That led him to believe the doctor when she told him his daughter wasn't attacked, he said. "I believed that nothing happened to her."

Although some cultural experts have said that Liberians might blame the victim in a sexual-assault case, the father said he does not hold that belief.

"In our country, if you make rape or force a woman . . . ," he said, "they put you in prison for seven years.

"I think (it's the) same law in Arizona."

The father said he has an appointment with state officials Monday. He said he will again ask for his daughter back.

He said he has asked to see his daughter, whom he has not seen since she was taken by the state. "I have not laid eyes on her," he said.

He would like to talk to his daughter, he said, and hear her tell him what happened. Until then, he said, he's unsure what to think about what police are saying happened.

He also is not sure what to think of the four boys who have been charged in the case.

"It's in the government's hands," he said. "I have no power to say."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.medindia.net/news/Eight-year-old-Liberian-Girl-Abandoned-By-Family-After-Rape-55301-1.htm
Eight-year-old Liberian Girl Abandoned By Family After Rape

Sunday, July 26, 2009 at 2:06:14 PM
An 8-year-old Liberian girl who was abandoned by her family after she was raped by neighbourhood boys in the US is receiving wide international sympathy.

The girl is under the care of the Arizona Child Protective Service (CPS) because her parents said she had shamed them, and they did not want her back.


Phoenix police said the girl's parents criticised her after the attack and blamed her for bringing shame on the family.

"The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said, 'Take her, I don't want her'," police Sergeant Andy Hill said.

Hill cited the family's background as the reason the family shunned the girl. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.

In some parts of Africa, women who are raped are often blamed for enticing men or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"It's a shame-based culture, so the crime is not as important as protecting the family name and the name of the community," said Tony Weedor, a Liberian refugee in Littleton, Colorado, and co-founder of the CentrePoint International Foundation, which helps Liberians resettle in the US.

A 14-year-old boy was charged on Wednesday last as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. He appeared in court yesterday and is being held without bail; he does not yet have a defence lawyer.
The other boys - ages nine, 10, and 13 - were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys were also charged with kidnapping, the office said.

Phoenix investigators
said the boys lured the girl to an empty shed on July 16 under the pretence of offering her chewing gum. The boys held her down while they took turns assaulting her, police said.

"She was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes," Hill said.

Officers responding to an emergency call reporting hysterical screams found the girl partially clothed and the boys running from the scene.

"This is a deeply disturbing case that has gripped our community," Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said on Thursday. "Our office will seek justice for the young victim in this heartrending situation."

The news has led to sharp criticism of the family from the President of Liberia and the country's ambassadorial staff in the United States.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is outraged. In a telephone interview with CNN, Johnson-Sirleaf said:

This is not a question of shame on the family. It is the question of an assault on a young child. That cannot be tolerated. We are so saddened. We are deeply distressed at this behavior on the part of our young Liberians and very saddened at this 8-year-old child who has been so victimized

In 2005, Johnson-Sirleaf became the first female to be elected head-of-state in an African country. She was President when rape was finally outlawed in Liberia in 2006.

Johnson-Sirleaf said the victim's family should receive counseling to help them overcome the belief that what their daughter had been through had somehow brought shame on them. She also said the attackers should both be punished and counseled so they can become "useful citizens, not only in the United States but when they return home."

Milton Barnes is the Liberian Ambassador to the United States and said all efforts will be made by his staff to ensure the welfare of the young girl is attended to. His deputy, Edwin Sele, also spoke of his own personal outrage at everything that had happened, saying that in Liberia the family and authorities alike would be "embracing the victim."

Sergeant Andy Hill of Phoenix Police has confirmed the girl's family will not face prosecution for their decision to disown their daughter, as they did not actually abandon her -- they merely failed to support her. However, he was also able to report that offers of a new home for the girl and pledges of money had been flooding in from up to nine different U.S. states.

[MuffyBee]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHILDREN_SEX_ASSAULT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
July 27, 9:02 PM EDT

8-year-old rape victim to remain in state hands

By TERRY TANG
Associated Press Writer


PHOENIX (AP) -- A Liberian man whose 8-year-old daughter allegedly was raped by four boys, and then reportedly shunned by her family, must wait at least three months before possibly regaining custody of the girl.

The father, who is not being named to protect the girl's identity, met with Child Protective Services on Monday.

The girl was taken into state custody after officials said they heard the victim's parents blame her and didn't want her anymore. But the father denied Monday that he ever blamed her or said that his daughter brought shame to the family.

"That is not true," the father told The Associated Press.

The family's pastor, who accompanied him to the meeting, said it will be 90 days until CPS officials reassess the situation. No arrangements for visitation have been made.

The incident has ignited an international outcry, including comments from Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

James Nyemah said the father was upset at having to go for such a long time without his daughter.

"He is troubled about the situation, that his daughter has been a victim of a horrible crime. This little girl that he raised ... knowing that the child might still be separated up to 90 days, that is troubling him," Nyemah said.

CPS officials said a three-month wait was not uncommon.

"Our primary goal in almost every case is to try to get a family unification. Whether it's going to recur in this case I can't say," said CPS spokesman Steve Meissner.

Prosecutors have charged a 14-year-old Liberian refugee as an adult. Three other boys - ages 9, 10 and 13 - have been charged in juvenile court.

Police said the boys lured the girl to an empty storage shed with the promise of chewing gum. Then they restrained her while taking turns assaulting her.

Nyemah said community officials also want to find out if there was any miscommunication between authorities and the girl's father. They also want to make sure families of the suspects and the victim get counseling.

[Tina Bee]

Cookie I so agree.  Can you imagine growing up in a culture where this notion is accepted as the way it should be?  I don't know why I was blessed to be born in America, but I am thankful for it everyday.  This story is just a sliver of what happens to girls and women in other parts of the world.
 

Actually the family blaming the 8 year old isn't part of the Liberian culture at all. The President of Liberia has denounced this family's actions.

The problem with this particular family (the one blaming the 8 year old) is that they haven't branched out to people outside of their little Liberian apartment complex and they feel a close connection with all these boys' families. They're loyalties are to each other and not the police.

Worse things happen in the United States everyday they just aren't aired on the news all the time.

I think the little girl should be adopted out while the family goes through some serious therapy. They're in for the biggest culture shock of their lives.

What if the woman who heard the girl's screams never did anything? What if she'd just kept walking? The little girl would've gone home and nothing would've been said about it. I think that's the most disturbing thought of them all.

[MuffyBee]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHILDREN_SEX_ASSAULT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Aug 4, 7:48 PM EDT

More adult charges sought in Ariz. child rape case

By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press Writer

PHOENIX (AP) -- An Arizona prosecutor wants to charge a second child as an adult in the alleged rape of an 8-year-old Liberian girl at a Phoenix apartment complex.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas announced Tuesday that his office filed a motion Monday to transfer the case to adult court. Prosecutors must get court permission to charge anyone younger than 14 as an adult.

Police say four boys, ages 9 to 14, lured the girl to an empty storage shed July 16 with the promise of chewing gum, restrained her and took turns raping her. The 14-year-old already has been charged as an adult while the younger boys are charged as juveniles.

The 13-year-old boy's attorney, Joseph Ramiro-Shanahan, said he hadn't yet read the motion and could not comment on it.
The boy's father declined to comment Tuesday after he was approached outside his west Phoenix apartment.

Currently, the boy, who is from Liberia, is being charged in juvenile court with sexual assault and kidnapping. Ramiro-Shanahan successfully requested a competency hearing in juvenile court on his behalf, saying that his client didn't receive any education while he lived with his grandmother on a farm in Liberia and later while living at a refugee camp for a number of years, according to a court document.

"He has no idea what his attorney does, no idea of what a prosecutor is, no idea what a judge is," Ramiro-Shanahan told The Associated Press. "He can't assist his own defense at this time."

He said he believes a juvenile court judge has to rule on his client's competency before he can be charged as an adult.

The 13-year-old and the other three boys, who also are from Liberia, were arrested July 21.

The 14-year-old suspect is being tried as an adult on one count each of kidnapping, sexual assault and attempted sexual conduct with a minor, and four counts of sexual conduct with a minor. His arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 10.

The 9- and 10-year-old boys have been charged in juvenile court with sexual assault; the 10-year-old also has been charged with kidnapping. Both are scheduled for review hearings Wednesday.

The case ignited an international outcry after Phoenix police reported the girl's parents said they were ashamed of her and didn't want her back, which led Child Protective Services to take custody of her.

The family's pastor says the father's statements were all a misunderstanding resulting from a language barrier and that the family desperately wants her back.

Liberians worldwide are closely watching the case, and Liberia's deputy ambassador to the U.S., Edwin Sele, is visiting Phoenix on Wednesday to conduct a weeklong fact-finding mission and to help dispel notions that rape is condoned in the West African country.

[cookie]

Tina Bee....good post and I think that you are correct..if that little girl would have just gone home crying and confused and in shock, either nothing would have been done or  she probably would have gotten into trouble for being upset and been punished and told that it was  her fault from that family of hers!


grrrrr....

[MuffyBee]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHILDREN_SEX_ASSAULT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Aug 5, 8:08 PM EDT

Boys charged in child rape case appear in court

By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press Writer

PHOENIX (AP) -- The two youngest boys charged in the rape last month of an 8-year-old Liberian girl were ordered Wednesday to remain in juvenile detention with restricted visitors, as Liberia's deputy ambassador to the U.S. arrived in town hoping to speak to them.

At separate hearings during which one of the young defendants openly wept, judges ordered that no one be allowed to interview the 9-year-old boys without the permission of their lawyers, court-appointed advocates and Child Protective Services.

Both lawyers indicated they would advise the boys not to speak to the deputy ambassador, Edwin Sele, who arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon for a weeklong fact-finding mission and to help dispel notions that rape is condoned in the West African country
He said during a news conference that he still hopes to interview the four boys despite the hurdles ahead of him.

"I'm sure we can speak to CPS and find ways to do this legally," said Sele, who was asked to visit Phoenix by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Sele said he wants the boys to know that being innocent until proven guilty is a hallmark of the U.S. justice system and that he also wants to meet with the 8-year-old girl to tell her that all Liberians extend their love to her.

The rape case drew international attention last month after police reported the alleged victim's parents said they were ashamed of the girl and didn't want her back - a contention later disputed by the family's pastor. The girl remains in custody of Child Protective Services.

During the alleged July 16 attack, police say the 9-year-old boys and two teenagers lured the girl to an empty storage shed with the promise of chewing gum, restrained her and took turns raping her. A 14-year-old has been charged as an adult, and prosecutors are seeking to charge a 13-year-old as an adult, as well.

One of the 9-year-old boys, whose ankles and wrists were shackled during Wednesday's hearing, slouched in his oversized chair and was expressionless until Judge Aimee Anderson spoke directly to him.

"I will tell you I'm very proud of you for being back there and working so hard," she said as she held up a certificate that his juvenile facility had given him for good behavior. "I know it's not easy and pretty hard to make friends in there ... Hang in there, OK?"

As she spoke, tears poured down his face and his sniffles could be heard over a courtroom microphone.

Anderson granted prosecutors' request to change two of the boy's charges from sexual assault to sexual conduct. He also is charged with kidnapping.

Minutes later at a separate hearing, the 9-year-old charged in the case sat quietly and looked around curiously from time to time. Judge Dawn Bergin ordered that his sexual assault charge be changed to sexual conduct, also at prosecutors' request.

The 9-year-old boys' uncle, whom The Associated Press is not identifying because he shares a last name with one of the boys, told the AP outside court that he was skeptical about whether his nephews had committed rape. "It's hard to believe a 9-year-old could commit rape," he said.

He said the boys are cousins, came to the U.S. about six years ago and had been living in Phoenix with their grandmother. He said neither remembers their life in Liberia, speak very limited English and don't understand what's going on in court.

During the hearings, a court-appointed advocate for the boys said the parents of one of them still live in Africa, while the other's mother is dead and his father is in Africa.

Neither have legal guardians, she said, which is why she said she will file dependency petitions on each of their behalf in hopes of getting them out of juvenile detention and placing them with an uncle or in Child Protective Services.

(This version CORRECTS UPDATES with quote from deputy ambassador; corrects age of second boy to 9 sted 10 per updated official information.)

[MuffyBee]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHILDREN_SEX_ASSAULT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Aug 18, 7:33 PM EDT

Foster-care for 2 Liberian boys charged in rape

By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press Writer
 PHOENIX (AP) -- Two 10-year-old boys charged in the alleged gang-rape of an 8-year-old Liberian girl must be released from juvenile detention and placed in therapeutic foster-care homes rather than with their own families, judges ruled Tuesday.

Judge Aimee Anderson also ruled that one of the boys is incompetent to stand trial and ordered him enrolled in a program that could render him fit for trial within six months.

Two mental-health experts found the other 10-year-old incapable of becoming competent to stand trial within six months. Judge Dawn Bergin could order the charges against that boy dismissed at a hearing next month if she agrees with the experts after they testify.

Phoenix police allege the boys, along with a 13- and 14-year-old, lured the girl to an empty storage shed July 16 and raped her. All four are also refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.

The judges also ordered Tuesday that the two 10-year-olds wear ankle bracelets that will electronically monitor them and that their families surrender travel documents.

Anderson's orders brought an emotional response from the boy's family. His uncle asked Anderson if the boy was guilty and told her that he didn't want him in foster care as other family members wept. One aunt yelled at the judge and pointed at her, prompting bailiffs to escort her out of the courtroom.  The boy wept loudly in court and told Anderson he wanted to go home as tears streamed down his face; the judge tried to console him.

"Listen, you're going to be out of detention," she said. "You're going to be sleeping in a really nice bed."

After the hearings, the boys' uncle, who is not being identified to protect the children's identities, told The Associated Press that they should be with him, not in foster homes. "At least they'll be out of jail," he added.

One of the boys is set to be placed with a stay-at-home mother and former teacher who will tutor him. The other one is set to go to a different stay-at-home mother who also is caring for a 12-year-old boy with special needs.

The case sparked an international outcry after police reported the girl's father said she brought shame on the family and he didn't want her back - comments a family pastor later said were misunderstood because of a language barrier.

State child welfare officials have custody of the girl.

The 14-year-old boy accused in the rape so far is the only one being charged as an adult. He's charged with one count each of kidnapping, sexual assault and attempted sexual conduct with a minor, and five counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

Prosecutors are seeking adult charges against the 13-year-old accused in the case.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/11/23/20091123competency1123.html

Competency of Phoenix boy in rape case debated

by Michael Kiefer - Nov. 23, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The defendant sat with his head on the defense table and his crayons and coloring book in front of him.

The boy, barely 9 years old, sat in court wearing his new khaki pants, green hoodie and hiking boots.

He is charged with participating in the July gang rape of an 8-year-old girl, and he was in Maricopa County Juvenile Court last week as prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over whether he is mature and intelligent enough to stand trial on the charge.
Deputy County Attorney Cindi Nannetti said he can be adequately schooled in court procedures, a process called "restoration." But two child psychologists have disagreed.

Last week, one of those psychologists took the stand to defend her professional opinion; the second will take the stand Wednesday.

Then, it will be up to Judge Dawn Bergin to decide if the boy goes to restoration or if he goes home.

But home to where?

In the three months the child has been in foster care, he has blossomed, according to testimony: He makes his bed, reads the Bible, does not act out.

According to testimony from his school teacher, when he was living with distant relatives - immigrants from the war-torn African nation of Liberia - he was underfed and acted out. His teacher also said he wore the same smelly shirt to school every day and other children picked on him and goaded him into fights.

According to police reports and court records, this child and three other boys - ages 14, 13, and 10, all refugees from Liberia - lured the girl to a storage shed at a west Phoenix apartment complex on July 16 and raped her.

They are charged with multiple crimes, including kidnapping, sexual assault and sexual conduct with a minor.

The incident set off international clamor that brought a Liberian ambassador to Phoenix to defend his country's reputation.

The girl was placed in foster care shortly after the incident. Her parents were arrested Friday and each charged with seven counts of child abuse related to a series of incidents dating to 2007.

Police said the girl was subjected to beatings and rough spankings.

Steven Tuopeh, who is now 15, was indicted in adult court - though his attorney has filed motions to send him to Juvenile Court -and the 13-year-old is participating in a program to determine where he can be tried.

The 10-year-old already is going through restoration to teach him enough about the court to understand the case against him. But the 9-year-old remains in limbo.

Last week, Dr. Janet Perry took the stand to explain why the boy is incompetent to stand trial - even in Juvenile Court.

Perry told Nannetti and the court that "it's extremely unlikely" the boy could benefit from restoration within the 240-day limit set by statute.

Nannetti pointed to the progress he has made in foster care and his improved schoolwork. Perry countered that book learning and rational understanding are separate skills.

The boy can learn, she insisted, but not necessarily understand the implications of what he is accused of doing or what could happen to him in court.

There were hints at the boy's possible defense, if he should eventually go to trial.

"Maybe the girl lied," he had told the psychologist during interviews.

When asked about the alleged attack, he blurted out that he did not know because he was not there.

During her questioning, Nannetti asked Perry whether the child's evasive answers were possibly signs of intellect and guile instead of childish confusion.

On one occasion during his interviews, for example, he claimed not to know his attorney's name.

Then, as the psychologist asked him if he understood what sexual assault meant, he answered that it was something about raping an 8-year-old girl. Rape, he said, was something about private parts.

When asked to identify the private-parts area on a stick figure drawing, he responded that it was not a very good picture. Then he drew his own stick figure of a man, and he told the court that it was a picture of his attorney and used his name.

The hearing continues next Wednesday.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/16/national/a091442S65.DTL
Ariz. judge tosses rape case against Liberian boy

By BOB CHRISTIE, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

12-16) 16:05 PST PHOENIX (AP) --

Sexual assault charges against a 9-year-old Liberian boy accused in the gang-rape of an 8-year-old girl were dismissed on Wednesday by a juvenile court judge in Phoenix.

The ruling issued by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dawn Bergin came after she spent weeks considering if the boy could be made to understand the charges against him. In the seven-page decision, she ruled that the boy could not and is incompetent to stand trial. The charges, sexual assault and sexual contact with a minor, can't be refiled.

Bergin noted in her ruling that because the offense was "serious" the boy is considered a dependent child under Arizona law and programs are available to rehabilitate him and protect the public. He was held in juvenile detention for a month after his arrest and then placed in a Child Protective Services' foster home, where he remains.

His name is being withheld because of his age.

<snip>

[MuffyBee]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/16/Rape-charges-against-refugee-kid-dropped/UPI-51771260987194/
Rape charges against refugee kid dropped

PHOENIX, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A Phoenix judge has thrown out rape charges against a 9-year-old boy in an assault on a young African refugee.

Maricopa County Juvenile Court Judge Dawn Bergin ruled Wednesday the youth was not competent to stand trial due to his age.

Bergin also said it was unlikely the boy, whose name was withheld because of his status as a juvenile, could be brought up to speed on the proceedings against him within the time limit specified by Arizona state law, The Arizona Republic reported.

The boy, along with three other youths ages 10, 13 and 15, were charged with attacking an 8-year-old girl at a Phoenix apartment complex.

The Republic said the defendants and their alleged victim were all refugees from Liberia.

The oldest defendant, Stephen Tuopeh, has been charged as an adult in the case and has a hearing scheduled for Friday on whether he is mentally competent to stand trial in adult court.