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Man Recieves No Jail Time For Raping 12-Year-Old “Because He’s Attending Church”

Man Recieves No Jail Time For Raping 12-Year-Old “Because He’s Attending Church”

As the sexual assault allegations against Republican nominee Donald Trump are met with appalling attempts to discredit his accusers, many on the right have been demanding why the women didn’t report their assaults earlier. There are hundreds of reasons why women don’t report their assaults, each one as disturbing as the last, but it can’t be denied that a major reason is that they know the justice system is stacked against them.

Martin Blake, 40, of Glasgow, Montana, plead guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl, a relative, on a charge of felony incest. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison – all of it suspended. He will have to register as a sex offender but otherwise will walk free after violating the innocence of a child. Under the deal, he was charged for only one assault, even though he admitted to several more assaults.

Prosecutors were shocked after they agreed to a deal in which a guilty plea would have sentenced Blake to 100 years in state prison, with 75 of those years suspended. The defense argued that Blake suffered a “collapse of social support” after he lost his job and cited the fact that he was living at home with his parents and “attending church every Sunday” as a defense, which the judge accepted:

“During his testimony, Blake indicated that he is currently living with his mother and stepdad, is employed, and attends church every Sunday. His testimony was confirmed when his mother took the stand and indicated, ‘My son is welcome at my home for any time that he needs.’”

Only three in a hundred rapists in America will ever see jail for their crimes – and apparently raping a twelve-year old can be excused by a show of contrition and showing up to church. No wonder the women of America are so reluctant to come forward with their assaults. The disgusting show of victim blaming emanating from the Trump campaign – and the vicious response from his rabid followers against the victims – is evidence enough of that.

Colin Taylor
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.

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