Six women who were alleged sexually abused by a Happy Valley pastor in the 1980s and 1990s have finally gotten their chance to tell their stories in court. Waiting nearly two decades to do so, these alleged child sex abuse victims took the stand this past week in the criminal sexual abuse case against Pastor Mike Sperou of the North Clackamas Bible Community (proceeding in Multnomah County).
Although these women are not the alleged victims of the criminal case, the judge overseeing this case has allowed their testimony by way of helping the jury determine whether Sperou’s actions were accidental or part of a pattern of child sexual abuse.
A Look at the Testimony from the Alleged Child Sex Abuse Victims
While we won’t delve into the specific names of the alleged child sex abuse victims who recently testified in this case, here’s an overview of the main similarities in these women’s stories:
- The abuse took place when the girls were younger than 10.
- The Pastor invited the girls to his home, where the alleged abuse occurred.
- The abuse typically involved touching the girls and inserting fingers in them.
- The girls all were afraid to report the abuse due to the Pastor’s prominence and power in the community.
Interestingly, the defense attorney for Pastor Mike Sperou has stated that, if his client is convicted, he plans on appealing the conviction due to the judge allowing testimony from the six women who are not the alleged victims in this case.
Those closely following this case expect the trial to last about two more weeks. If a conviction is not secured in this criminal case, the alleged victim can still have her day in civil court, where she – and others who may have been abused by pastors, deacons or others – can attempt to secure financial recovery.
Portland Child Sex Abuse Lawyers at the Savage Law Firm: We Can Help You
If you or someone you love has been the target of child sex abuse, you can turn to the Portland child sex abuse attorneys at the Savage Law Firm for help seeking justice and compensation. At the Savage Law Firm, we understand that no amount of money can ever make up for childhood sexual abuse. However, we also know that helping abuse survivors obtain compensation from their abusers – including the people who possess images of them – can be pivotal to helping them obtain a sense of justice as well as:
- The financial support they need if they are unable to work due to their psychological issues
- The counseling and other long-term treatments necessary to deal with the damage caused by their abuse.
To learn more about your rights and how we can help you, attend a free, no obligations initial consultation with one of our Portland attorneys as soon as possible.
You can set up this meeting by calling us at 503-222-0200 (in Portland) or at 206-957-7272 (in Seattle). You can also email us using the form on this page. We represent clients in Oregon and Washington from our offices in Portland and Seattle.
