NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger
By Julia Terruso/The Star-Ledger
ELIZABETH — As a sheriff’s officer led their former pastor away in handcuffs today after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls, the victims’ parents wiped tears from their eyes.
George Benbow, who had stood in the pulpit at Christian Fellowship Gospel Church in Plainfield, preaching right and wrong, had betrayed their trust, they said.
“I’m glad it’s over and my daughter doesn’t have to go through this anymore,” the mother of one of the girls said, her voice breaking. “This has devastated a community.”
A jury in Superior Court in Elizabeth convicted Benbow of two counts of sexual assault for encounters with two girls between the ages of 9 and 13 — incidents that occurred on church property and in his home next door. He did not react to the verdict except to confer with his lawyer.
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