NCADRC - National Child Abuse Defense & Resource Center - Education and other help for those falsely accused of child abuse

Falsely Accused of Sex Crime, Still Suffering

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:15:06 +0000

15-year old Edgar Coker Jr. pled guilty to raping a 14-year old girl because it was too risky for him to take his chances and go to trial, even though he was completely innocent. Coker faced an impossible choice that many accused of sex crimes face: challenge the false allegations when the odds are stacked up against you and risk lengthy mandatory prison time, or take the plea and admit guilt for something you didn’t do, and receive a much shorter sentence. However, Coker’s case emphasizes the other consequences that occur when entering into a plea that one does not ordinarily think about.

Coker is forced to list himself on the Sex Offender Registry List. This list is public information, and any person can access it and see Coker on it. Coker must disclose this conviction on any job application, cannot be near any place with young children including schools or parks without special permission, and has been the target of false allegations and threatening letters and notes. Coker and his family have had to uproot their lives several times because of this.

The worst part about this scenario is that the 14-year old girl recanted her story after Coker took the plea, admitting that she made up the rape and that the sex was consensual. However, Coker is still living with the consequences of these false allegations. He finds it impossible to live a normal life, and prefers to stay indoors not socializing with anyone.

Remember, false allegations can have wide-reaching consequences, far beyond just having a conviction on your record. While the prison term lengths usually dramatically decrease when considering a plea, remember that there are a million other detriments that come along with conceding the charges.

David Michael Cantor is a sex crimes lawyer and a Supporting Member of NCADRC.

Divorce/Custody Proceedings + Child Molestation Proceedings= False Convictions

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:41:59 +0000

Studies show that the majority of child Sexual Molestation accusations that are claimed in child custody disputes are false. Look at this article/blog for the studies. Think about it, it makes sense. If you are desperate to keep your children, as most people understandably are, and are worried that they will be taken away from you, would you do the one thing that you knew would allow you to keep them? Facing allegations that a parent has molested or abused a child, what publicly elected official is going to grant any sort of custody to that parent? Exactly, no judge. That parent is straight-up out of luck.

However, once charges are brought against that parent based on these false claims, not only have they lost the right to see their children, but they are risking spending the rest of their life in prison. But, there are ways to fight these false accusations. It is important to find professionals who are experienced in defending against these false allegations.

David M Cantor is a sex crimes lawyer out of Phoenix Arizona and is a Supporting Member of the NCADRC.

Dallas’s Dale Duke: Exonerated of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:42:24 +0000

In 1992, Dale Duke was recently married, when his step-daughter accused him of Sexual Assault. Duke pled no contest to the charge in order to receive a deferred adjudication, and was later sentenced to 20 years prison for refusing to admit the sexual assault in a Sex Offender Treatment Program as part of his sentence.

About a year after, the step-daughter recanted her testimony, claiming that the sexual assault had never happened, and that she made it up. In 2011, Duke’s attorney discovered that the Prosecutors office had never shared with the defense exculpatory information that the girl’s grandmother had told police that she thought the “victim” was untruthful and that her aunt had actually convinced the girl to fabricate the story.

This exoneration comes after Duke has served almost 14 years in prison for this “crime” that never happened.

The exoneration is due in part to diligent work by Duke’s attorney, and also to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, led by Russell Wilson. Dallas should be applauded for actually taking the initiative to exonerate those falsely accused of sexual crimes against children. Hopefully this trend will continue. However, most counties do not have a Unit like this, and wrongly convicted are required to rely on the skill of their trial attorneys, appellate lawyers, and false accusation experts to defend against these unfounded charges.

David M Cantor is a sex crimes lawyer out of Phoenix, Arizona and is a Supporting Member of the NCADRC.

NCADRC

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:40:01 +0000

We are a non-profit organization dedicated to educating professionals and the falsely accused on factual, scientific data regarding child abuse allegations. To that end, we host one of the largest conferences on the topic of false child abuse allegations every 12 to 24 months.

For the falsely accused, we can refer leading professionals from the legal, mental health, and medical fields.

For the defense team, we can provide relevant research, expert referrals, and other resources necessary to be successful at trial.

For those who investigate, substantiate and prosecute claims of child abuse, we can provide resources to aid in objective assessment and conclusions that effectively distinguish genuine abuse victims from children that intentionally or mistakenly make or are coerced to make false allegations.