In Massachusetts on Tuesday, Medford resident Philip Duffy was sentenced to a life sentence plus 10 to 12 years for the rape of two deaf girls. At his criminal trial last August, Duffy, 48, was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 14, five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person older than 14, and posing a child in a nude state. He allegedly assaulted one of the girls multiple times over a four-year period from the time she was 12 years old. Duffy will be eligible for parole after 15 years.
In another recent rape case involving a young victim, psychiatric patient Vernon Lee Thompson is scheduled to be arraigned this week on charges that he raped a 14-year-old hospital volunteer at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain. Prosecutors say that Thompson raped the volunteer two times in a stairwell on July 10. A nurse reportedly saw Thompson with the girl but did not stop him. Another witness also saw them together and “separated them.”
According to the US Department of Justice, 2/3rds of all reported sexual assault crimes involve minors younger than 18. In Massachusetts, prosecutors will aggressively pursue anyone charged with the rape of a child or an adult, and the penalties if convicted are severe. This is why it is important that if you have been arrested for a sex crime, you retain the services of an experienced criminal defense law firm to protect your rights and provide you with the best defense.
Recently, new Massachusetts legislation created new child abuse crime categories, including assault and battery of a child under 14, aggravated statutory rape, and aggravated forcible rape of a child. Conviction of any of these crimes now comes with mandatory minimum prison sentences.
Philip Duffy gets life for raping 2 deaf children, BostonHerald.com, October 7, 2008
Psychiatric patient indicted on rape charges, Boston.com, October 6, 2008
Child Protection Act just a start, Wickedlocal.com, July 30, 2008
Related Web Resource:
An Act Protecting Children in The Commonwealth (H4905)
Contact Altman & Altman LLP to request your free consultation with one of our experienced Boston criminal defense lawyers.