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Grandmother Convinced Girls To Falsely Accuse Man of
Sexual Abuse to Protect Their Cousin
Stepfather of one served 20 years before being freed
Friday
Nov. 6, 2004 – Two women say their grandmother made
them falsely claim sexual abuse against the stepfather of one, rather
than their cousin who was under the care of the grandmother, who is now
dead. They recanted their charges on Friday and Sylvester Smith, 53,
went free after 20 years in prison. The story is reported in the
Raleigh, NC, News Observer.
The women were four and
six years old when the alleged sexual abuse occurred. One of the
victims, now 25 years old, testified over the objections of her mother,
who still held Smith responsible for the crimes. The other victim, now
26, testified reluctantly, saying she feared hurting her family,
according to News Observer writer Barbara Barrett.
It was an emotional
hearing, with about 50 relatives and friends packed into a small
courtroom in rural Brunswick County. The original case was prosecuted by
now-Gov. Mike Easley and Wanda Bryant, a state appeals court judge.
Through a spokeswoman, Easley declined to comment on the case Friday,
reported Barret.
One of the victims said
the real abuser was a cousin, only nine at the time, who is now serving
a life sentence for murder. As a child, she had told her grandmother,
who had custody of the boy, that her cousin hurt her. She said her
grandmother told her she was lying, that it must have been Smith.
"There was a lot of
pressure coming from someone that I love."
"That being whom,
ma'am?" Gore interrupted.
"My grandmother," the
woman said, her voice breaking.
Read the complete story by Barbara Barrett in the News Observer - Click.
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