Judge Wrong to Blame Girl in Abuse Case
I am absolutely outraged by Judge Luis A. Cardenas’ remark that a 12- to 13-year-old female victim of child molestation is a “tart” because she is alleged to be sexually sophisticated! I sincerely doubt that a comparable remark would have been issued had the victim been a sexually sophisticated young male. And what about the perpetrator, Robert Stanfield? Surely at 68 years of age, this family man understands the difference between sexually acceptable and unacceptable behavior!
As for attorney Brooks Talley condoning Judge Cardenas’ statement with the observation that, “This is not a case of a man preying on someone who has had no prior sexual experience.” How dare Mr. Talley excuse his client’s behavior because he believes the victim was partly responsible for what happened. No one is responsible for someone else’s actions!
It’s totally ludicrous, although unfortunately true, that in this day of enlightenment (?) women and girls are still being subjected to the madonna/whore syndrome while the man’s behavior is, if not tolerated (a six-year sentence), accepted with a sly wink by members of the “good ol’ boy” network.
Shame on you, Judge Cardenas and Attorney Talley!
BARBARA BREE, Laguna Beach
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