Exclusive: Woman Feels Victimized Twice, by Priest and Church, KLAS, October 31, 2007

Exclusive: Woman Feels Victimized Twice, by Priest and Church

KLAS
October 31, 2007

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7293444

A Las Vegas priest will be sentenced Thursday for assaulting a Catholic Church employee in January of 2007.

Father George Chaanine pleaded guilty to one count of battery and could face up to 15 years behind bars. His victim, Michaelina Bellamy, agreed to the plea deal two months ago, but is now having second thoughts.

Father George Chaanine pleaded guilty to one count of battery and could face up to 15 years behind bars.

In her first and only interview, Bellamy told the I-Team she feels she's been victimized twice — once by the priest and once by the Church.

911 audiotape, Michaelina Bellamy: "Help me."

911 operator: "Did you fall?"

Michaelina Bellamy: "No. I got beaten up."

911 operator: "Where's the person who did this to you?"

Michaelina Bellamy: "He's going to kill himself."

When Michaelina Bellamy dialed 911 in January, the call set off a nationwide manhunt for fugitive priest George Chaanine, who was captured days later in Arizona. The Catholic Church, already bleeding from other scandals, didn't need more bad news.

But the Church's pain didn't match Bellamy's, whose head was repeatedly smashed by a heavy wine bottle and whose blood was all over the office inside Our Lady of Las Vegas church where she and the priest both worked.

Since the attack, Bellamy says she's heard the murmurs that somehow, she was asking for it because she'd befriended Chaanine.

Michaelina Bellamy, assault victim, said, "I was raised that way. Priests were in and out of our homes. Priests brought gifts and food. There was always room for a priest or a nun. Always."

When Michaelina Bellamy dialed 911 in January, the call set off a nationwide manhunt for fugitive priest George Chaanine, who was captured days later in Arizona.

But this priest became infatuated with her. Bellamy says Father Chaanine didn't think of himself as a priest, didn't want to be called Father, and boasted of his romantic liaisons with married parishioners in Las Vegas and other churches where he'd worked.

Chaanine initially proclaimed his innocence in the assault and accused Bellamy of fleecing him for money. But Bellamy and her daughters say Chaanine pushed his way into their family.

Bellamy continued, "He wasn't a member of the family. He invited himself."

Michaelina Bellamy says Chaanine was able to get away with his indiscretions because he is a close friend of Bishop Joseph Pepe. She notes that the bishop went to visit Chaanine in jail but has never even phoned her after the attack.

The Church's pain didn't match Bellamy's, whose head was repeatedly smashed by a heavy wine bottle and whose blood was all over the office inside Our Lady of Las Vegas church where she and the priest both worked.

"The bishop said he had spoken to me and that's a lie. He's never spoken to me. I think he went to see the prisoner because he was afraid he might say some personal things about the bishop, not just about the Church," she stated.

Bellamy's attorney, Robert Massi says his client was told she could not return to her office to retrieve her belongings. The Church, already rocked by scandals and lawsuits, might have worried about a legal action by Bellamy when it barred her from the premises.

In her first and only interview, Bellamy told the I-Team's George Knapp she feels she's been victimized twice — once by the priest and once by the Church.

But a lawsuit is unlikely for a simple reason — since both Bellamy and Chaanine were employees, her injuries are covered by the worker's compensation system, which puts a cap on any settlements, a system not known for being employee friendly. The best Bellamy can hope for is prison time for Father Chaanine.

Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church is where George Chaanine was a priest and Michaelina Bellamy was a church member and worker.

Bellamy said, "To me, he's a terrorist. He beat me up. I'm dressing as Rambo for Halloween."

The D.A.'s office says it was unable to substantiate Bellamy's allegations that Father Chaanine attempted to sexually assault her.

Bellamy gave her approval to the plea bargain that will result in Chaanine's sentencing on Thursday, Nov. 1.