Today in Courtroom 3b, by Susan Campbell, Hartford Courant, June 15, 2011

Today in Courtroom 3b

By Susan Campbell
Hartford Courant
June 15, 2011

http://blogs.courant.com/susan_campbell/2011/06/today-in-courtroom-3b-12.html

Testimony continued in the second day of the second St. Francis child sex abuse trial at Waterbury Superior Court.

Witnesses called to the stand included West Hartford police Capt. Donald Melanson, one of the investigators in 2007 when between 50,000 and 60,000 pornographic photos and slides were found hidden in the former home of George Reardon, St. Francis hospital's head of endocrinology.

For decades, Reardon, who died in '98, lured countless children with a bogus growth study so he could sexually abuse and exploit them in his hospital office. The hidden porn stash was proof.

The case seeks to determine if St. Francis, which had in place a system of checks and balances that appears to never have been used with Reardon, is culpable. The first case ended in a settlement for 32 of Reardon's victims, who were represented by the New Haven law firm, Stratton Faxon. The plaintiff in this case is represented by Douglas Mahoney, of Tremont & Sheldon, of Bridgeport.

Today's testimony included a videotape of Francis Sullo, who once worked at St. Francis' photography department. Both Melanson and Sullo testified in the first trial.

New to the stand was the mother of the plaintiff, Tim Doe 1. As with the first case, the plaintiff is going by a pseudonym, and so are his family members, including a sister who testifed Tuesday.

From the stand, the plaintiff's mother, a woman in her late 70s, described her close-knit family, save for the strained relationship between the plaintiff and his older sister (who'd testified the same thing). Both plaintiff and his older sister were included in Reardon's bogus study, and photos of them in pornographic poses were shown to the jury today.

(Only the jury and court officials saw the pornographic photos and slides, which were projected onto a small screen that faces away from courtroom observers.)

The mother said that if she'd had any inkling that Reardon was sexually abusing or exploiting her children, she'd have put a stop to it, and fast.

The mother remained composed throughout her extended time on the stand, but her stories were another reminder of what happens to a family when a pedophile comes calling. As another witness said in the first trial, childhood sexual abuse is like a bomb exploding in the life of a child -- and the collateral damage extends far.