DCF investigation into young girl’s sexual abuse allegations languished for 5 years
For five years, the Department of Children and Families and family courts shuffled a young girl — who says her father sexually abused her — back and forth between the custody of her parents as authorities struggled to decide whether or not they believed her numerous allegations, according to a report from The Boston Globe.
James Stanley, the 8-year-old girl’s father, has been accused of sexually abusing her five times from 2010 to 2014, the Globe reported. He’s also faced allegations that he sexually assaulted his older daughter and raped his sister when they were both adolescents, yet no criminal charges have been brought against him. Stanley says the allegations are false, stemming from attempts to smear his name or remove his children from his custody.
Despite the accusations against Stanley, courts have ruled repeatedly that there isn’t sufficient evidence to charge him, according to the Globe. The girl was often returned to his custody, sometimes spending a few days in foster care when a new accusation arose. In 2014, the girl was finally removed from his care when a man supervising one of her visits with her mother contacted DCF and recounted the girl’s “vivid’’ allegations of abuse.
After years of custody battles and accusations, social workers say the girl has symptoms that coincide with trauma. She tends to let her mind wander off to other places, and has trouble forming attachments in relationships, the Globe reported.
“I told my mom and I think my mom believed me,’’ the girl told a social worker during an interview at the Children’s Charter trauma clinic in Waltham. “It hurt. I’m telling the truth. Do you believe me? Will the judge believe me?’’
Read the full Globe story here.
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