Judge calls teen girls 'aggressor' in sex abuse case involving 67-year-old man
A Kansas judge is facing backlash for describing two girls, ages 13 and 14, as the "aggressor" after a 67-year-old man was convicted of soliciting one of them for sex.
Kansas judge calls children the ‘aggressor’ in sex abuse case with 67-year-old man https://t.co/hKMo3fOCZV
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) February 3, 2019
According to the Kansas City Star, Leavenworth County District Judge Michael Gibbens made the controversial comments in December before he sentenced Raymond Soden, 67, to more than five years in prison – less than half the time prosecutors had sought.
"I do find that the victims in this case, in particular, were more an aggressor than a participant in the criminal conduct," Gibbens said at the time, according to the Star. "They were certainly selling things monetarily that it's against the law for even an adult to sell."
Soden's attorney claimed that the teens "tried to have someone rob Soden and that their older sister had been the one who arranged for them to meet Soden," the Star reported. They went to his home voluntarily and accepted payment for sex acts, the judge said.
"I wonder what kind of trauma there really was to this victim under those peculiar circumstances," Gibbens said, according to the newspaper.
Gibbens said he also considered Soden's low intellect, health and age while determining his sentence.
Child advocates slammed Gibbens' comments.
"Sexual assault is never the victim's fault," Michelle Herman, president and CEO of the Sunflower House, told the Star. "It doesn't matter what the girls did or didn't do, he is still the adult and nobody deserves to be taken advantage of sexually."
Other critics shared their outrage on social media. See some of their comments below:
The words of a Kansas judge about a 13-yr-old victim of a 67-yr-old man in a sex abuse case:
— Dani Bostick (@danibostick) February 4, 2019
“I think that a 13-year-old who offered what she offered for money is certainly an aggressor"
If this is what the judge thinks, he should not be a judge #MeToo
https://t.co/6W178gvt4I
Yes, by all means let us weep for these poor, vulnerable men. https://t.co/7o53jAWmRp
— Leonard Pitts, Jr. (@LeonardPittsJr1) February 4, 2019
“I think that a 13-year-old who offered what she offered for money is certainly an aggressor, particularly since she’s the one that had to travel to Mr. Soden,” the judge said. REALLY?????
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 4, 2019
Prosecutors are still deciding whether to pursue an appeal, the Star reported.
