VICTIM FACES SEXUAL ABUSER.Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff WriterA 12-year-old girl has asked a judge to send David C. Whittington of Moorpark to prison for 10 or more years for molesting her. The child, after being molested mo·lest tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy. 2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity. by her father and abandoned by her alcoholic mother, was sent to live with Whittington, 56, of Moorpark, and his wife. ``I was hoping it would be a safe place,'' the child testified about her arrival at the Whittingtons' home. During a sentencing hearing Wednesday, the girl explained to Judge Bruce Clark This article is about the American actor. For the British journalist and writer, see Bruce Clark (journalist). Bruce Allan Clark (born 5 March 1958, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) is an actor who appeared in the 1970 TV series Here Come the Double Deckers. how Whittington had promised he would never betray her as her father did. Eventually, the girl said, she began to trust Whittington, a retired postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union - NPMHU and the American Postal Workers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. . After Whittington molested her, ``he told me he was just trying to teach me about sex,'' she said, adding: ``I hope you give him 10 to 15 years.'' Whittington sat with his hand cupped over his mouth, at times looking down at the defense table during the girl's brief statement. Authorities say Whittington fondled the girl several times during a three-week period in April. She told a schoolmate, whose mother called police. In June, Whittington pleaded guilty to three counts of child molestation Child molestation is a crime involving a range of indecent or sexual activities between an adult and a child, usually under the age of 14. In psychiatric terms, these acts are sometimes known as pedophilia. and, under a plea bargain plea bargain n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the , faces a maximum of 12 years in prison. Had he turned down the agreement and been convicted on all five counts, he could have faced up to 16 years in prison. The agreement spared the girl the trauma of being the key witness in a trial, said Deputy District Attorney Saundra Brewer, the prosecutor in the case. Whittington's sister-in-law, Lee Ann Haynie, testified that he had fondled her in 1970 when she was 14. ``He started kissing me and fondling (me) over my clothing,'' she said. ``And when he reached his hand under my dress . . . I ran from him, crying.'' She never told an adult about the incident, she said. The prosecutor objected when Whittington's attorney, Joseph Lax, tried to put a doctor on the witness stand to testify To provide evidence as a witness, subject to an oath or affirmation, in order to establish a particular fact or set of facts. Court rules require witnesses to testify about the facts they know that are relevant to the determination of the outcome of the case. about Whittington's medical condition. Brewer said she had not received the required advance notice and copies of the doctor's reports or notes. The judge postponed the sentencing until Sept. 29, a move that upset those who had hoped the hearing Wednesday would bring closure for the young victim, who now lives in Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern . |
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