Teen sexually assaults baby on tape, gets no jail time

[Cleopatra7]

Life is increasingly making no sense. How is it possible to molest a baby, on film, no less, and get no jail time?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2016/09/19/teen-pleads-guilty-to-sexual-abuse-of-a-1-year-old-girl-then-a-judge-gives-him-no-prison-time/

It seems like the perpetrator was manipulated into the act by older adults online, but even so, he should have realized that what he was doing was wrong. 

[Palimpsest]

If you read the whole story and not just the dramatic headlines the judge's decision is more understandable.  

He plead guilty, the child was not harmed, it is a suspended sentence with 5 years probation, and he has to register as a sex offender.  Grooms was 16 (a minor) when the offense was committed and he was definitely manipulated by adults.  

The victim's mother has approved the sentence.  And he's already spent 2+ years in jail.  That counts as time served.

Quote

Oldenburger said that while Grooms’s action was “disturbing,” it should not be described as “raping a toddler.” The attorney told the Des Moines Register that Grooms was masturbating in the video. The teen committed the act “at the behest of two men” who have “perfected a technique of duping children into committing sexual acts,” Oldenburger wrote.

“They were so skillful and so persuasive in their efforts that they successfully convinced hundreds of children to engage in sexual activity while they surreptitiously recorded it,” Oldenburger wrote. “It seems highly unlikely that Grooms would have engaged in the abuse under any other circumstances or of his own volition.”

The victim, who was 1 year old at that time, was neither injured nor harmed, and was too young to be aware of what was happening, 

It is a sickening story.   The two adult men are being separately charged.

[Cleopatra7]

I read the story, and while the extenuating circumstances are unusual, I'm not sure if the punishment fits the crime. Maybe a degreed law professional could provide a more informed opinion. 

[Terrie]

20 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

I read the story, and while the extenuating circumstances are unusual, I'm not sure if the punishment fits the crime. Maybe a degreed law professional could provide a more informed opinion. 

I don't think that's a question for a law professional, so much as it is for a mental health professional. This is a case of a minor who was enticed by adults. I don't like the idea of someone who is also a victim being punished unless it's shown they are a risk to the community on their own.

[Cleopatra7]

26 minutes ago, Terrie said:

I don't think that's a question for a law professional, so much as it is for a mental health professional. This is a case of a minor who was enticed by adults. I don't like the idea of someone who is also a victim being punished unless it's shown they are a risk to the community on their own.

I wish the article had some information on who the adult men were who convinced the teen to do this. If they are the real parties at blame, then it seems like there should be more said about them.

[Palimpsest]

2 hours ago, Terrie said:

I don't think that's a question for a law professional, so much as it is for a mental health professional. This is a case of a minor who was enticed by adults. I don't like the idea of someone who is also a victim being punished unless it's shown they are a risk to the community on their own.

Yes.  I can be very hawkish on the need for minimum sentences for sexual assault and molestation.  However, this is not a case I would use as a good example to protest overly lenient sentencing after a guilty plea.  FFS, we have plenty of those!  Adults have walked away with mere community service after rape.  This kid has already served 2+ years in jail.  I also hope mandatory therapy was included in his sentence.  

When push comes to shove, minors who were enticed and manipulated are a different matter to adult perpetrators and may well be victims themselves.  Degreed mental health professional speaking here, though.  IMO, chances are that the minor perpetrator in this case has shown remorse, been assessed by a mental health professional as low risk of re-offending and the judge took that into consideration.  Of course mental health professionals and judges can be wrong sometimes too.

9 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

I wish the article had some information on who the adult men were who convinced the teen to do this. If they are the real parties at blame, then it seems like there should be more said about them.

Yeah, journalists aren't very good at filling in the details, are they?  I remember seeing much more info in the past on the 'net about this case.  

It is very nasty.  I'm a bit pressed for time right now or I'd try to find links for you.  A quick Google might turn up a lot of stuff though.

[Khan]

What the bloody hell is this? A wee bit of Google fu found him being charged with masturbation in front of a toddler. Who the hell thinks that's a good idea? No matter what some divot head on the internet says. "Skillfully manipulation". What kind of enticement does one need to wank in front of a toddler?  I hope this young man has been receiving therapy after this mess.

[devoe364]

In reading the article, the outrage I saw at the title disapated. We know nothing of Grooms mental health or even if he has learning disabilities or other issues. Kids with lower spectrum ADHD can be easily manipulated and influenced by others, especially if they want to be liked.

These grown men pretended to be girls - slightly younger than Groom. I assume his interest was in them - not the infant. However, it seems to me, their interest was in the infant, not the boy, he was likely a surrogate for them.

So I am not outraged by this sentence. I think it is appropriate. 

I hope that the men in Ireland and New Orleans have been charged and will recieve far harsher sentences.

A 16 year old is still considered a minor, so child pornography charges against the men should be the very least. 

 

[Mercer]

I don't know enough about this particular case to have a solid opinion, but I will say in general terms that it has been my experience that 1.) it's actually quite common for minors who perpetrate against other children to receive treatment rather than criminal punishment, particularly since in many cases the perpetrating child has also been victimized, and 2.) in many cases these young people go on to lead normal lives once they have received treatment.

[carebaer]

The thing that struck me as a case for leniency was that the investigation showed that the pedophiles had attempted to get him to abuse another child and he refused.  That doesn't excuse that he was willing to do it the first time, but it does show that he realized it was wrong and was likely remorseful even before he was caught.  Which makes a good case for treatment instead of additional prison time in this situation.