NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger
By Julia Terruso/The Star-Ledger
ELIZABETH — There’s no way a popular pastor could have sexually assaulted young girls at a crowded church camp without anyone knowing, George Benbow’s attorney told jurors just before they began deliberations Thursday.
But prosecutors say that’s exactly what happened. They say Benbow would approach girls in private corners of the camp — the basement, an empty pool and the kitchen — pull them onto his lap and move against them. On some occasions, prosecutors say, Benbow would go to the bathroom immediately afterward.
Now, after listening to four weeks of emotional and sometimes graphic testimony, jurors must decide whom to believe: Benbow or five girls who have accused the former Plainfield pastor of molesting them.
“This was sexual intent,” Assistant Prosecutor John Esmerado said. “It wasn’t accidental. It wasn’t innocent.”
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