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Church petitions court to reveal the identities of teenage sexual abuse victims who sued them

By Elsa Vulliamy
Independent (UK)
July 3, 2016

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/church-priest-sexual-abuse-kansas-westside-family-church-sues-girls-a7116671.html

Kessler Lichtenegger was imprisoned for attempted rape and solicitation Kansas Department of Corrections

A Kansas church is asking a court to punish two young girls who sued them over sexual abuse by a former Bible school volunteer by forcing them to reveal their identities.The volunteer, Kessler Lichtenegger, pleaded guilty last year to attempted rape and attempted electronic solicitation involving two girls under the age of 14, who attended the church.

The girls and their families filed a lawsuit last month, alleging that Church officials at Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kansas knew about Lichtenegger’s history of violent and sexual crimes involving children, and still allowed him to volunteer.

The suit alleged that one of the girls was raped on church property, and that Lichtenegger had forced her to perform sexual acts on him by threatening that he would go after her younger sister if she did not comply.

Lichtenegger was sentenced to 17 years in prison after reaching a plea deal.

During the case, the identities of the two girls were not revealed, as is usual under ‘rape shield’ laws which protect the identity of rape victims, as well as restrictions when it comes to releasing the identity of a person under 18 who has been a victim of a crime.

Westside Family Church has petitioned the court to release the identities of the girls' families, and accused the support organisation SNAP (Survivors Network of those abused by Priests) of leaking their complaint to the press without first informing the congregation they were being sued.

The church accused the families and the organisation, of launching a "Pearl Harbour-styled barrage of negative publicity for the Defendant Church", after SNAP organised a protest at the church on the same day as their Vacation Bible School event.

The church acknowledge that in cases of minor sexual abuse, the prosecution would usually use a pseudonym, but they say the girls' parents and attorneys have "chosen a different path."

"They should not be able to hide behind pseydonyms after systematically and intentionally initiating a campaign specifically designed to damage Defendant's reputation," the memorandum says.

David Clohessy, executive director of SNAP, said the organisation was “appalled” at the actions of the church.

“This mean-spirited move will deter others who see, suspect or suffer child sex crimes into staying silent, enabling more predators to hurt more kids.

“It will also rub more salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of this suffering family.

“It is a shameful move by officials who profess to be ‘Christians’.”




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