By Catherine Elsworth
Telegraph
November 21, 2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/21/wjeffs121.xml
Warren Jeffs, the polygamous sect leader, yesterday received the maximum sentence of five years to life in prison for forcing a teenage girl to marry her cousin.
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| Warren Jeffs attempted
suicide before the trial |
The so-called "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) was convicted in September of two counts of rape as an accomplice for presiding over the arranged marriage of 14-year-old Elissa Wall to Allen Steed, 19.
James Shumate, a Utah district judge, yesterday imposed consecutive sentences of five years to life for both convictions stemming from the 2001 wedding he performed in a Nevada motel room, the harshest punishment available.
Jeffs, a self-proclaimed prophet whose followers believe he is a descendant from Jesus Christ is expected to be detained in a maximum security unit for his own protection with the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole ultimately determining how long he spends in prison.
The average sentence for similar offences is seven years, according to the parole board.
Handcuffed and chained at the waist, Jeffs, 51, appeared frail and expressionless as the sentence was handed down in St George, 300 miles south of Salt Lake City.
The sect leader had attempted suicide in the months before his trial, according to court documents, and also declared to followers that he was unworthy of the "priesthood" because had been "immoral with a sister and a daughter when I was younger, so the Lord showed me I'm one of the most wicked men on the face of the Earth since father Adam's time."
Jeffs, who was feared by many and described as despotic and controlling, led around 7,500 FLDS members mostly living in the twin communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona.
Followers practice polygamy with arranged marriages that have traditionally involved placing young girls with older men.
The mainstream Mormon church renounced polygamy more than a century ago and excommunicates members who engage in the practice.
Prosecutors accused Jeffs of enticing Miss Wall into marriage and sex against her will by telling her the relationship was commanded by God.
Now 21, Miss Wall testified that she objected to the union but was told by Jeffs to go back and give herself "mind, body and soul" to her husband.
She also described how Jeffs failed to help her when she later asked for a divorce because she was uncomfortable having sex with Mr Steed.
Miss Wall eventually left the marriage and the church when she became pregnant with another man's child.
She has also filed a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit against Jeffs and the FLDS. Jurors said Miss Wall's age was a major factor in their decision.
Under Utah law, a 14-year-old can consent to sex in some circumstances. But it is not considered consensual if a person under 18 is enticed by someone at least three years older.
Mr Steed, now 26, told a different version of events, saying Miss Wall had initiated sex and denying that she had cried during their wedding ceremony.
Mr Steed was charged with rape the day after Jeffs' conviction. His case is pending. Jeffs, who spent 15 months on the run and was on the FBI's Most Wanted list alongside Osama Bin Laden, was arrested in August 2006.
The FLDS leader, whose lawyers are appealing his conviction, is also scheduled to face criminal charges in Arizona, where he is accused of performing more child-bride marriages.
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