NEW HAMPSHIRE
Seacoast Online
By Brian Early bearly@seacoastonline.com
CONCORD -The state’s House Committee on Justice and Public Safety will hold a hearing on Tuesday on a bill that would require corroboration to a victim’s testimony in sexual assault cases where the defendant has no prior convictions.
The bill has generated intense interest, especially for advocates of sexual assault victims, and the hearings are expected to be widely attended.
Rep. William Marsh, a Wolfeboro Republican, introduced House Bill 106 that adds 13 words and strikes out four others to the law dealing with sexual assault and related offenses. The proposed law states that “the testimony of the victim (in sexual assault cases) shall be corroborated in prosecutions …; only in cases where the defendant has no prior convictions.” The bill was co-sponsored by two others; however, one has since withdrawn her support.
Marsh said the scales of justice seem to be in favor of the victim. “We’re guilty as soon as we’re accused at this point in time, and that’s a problem,” Marsh said in a call on Monday. One reason for introduction was the 2016 conviction of Concord psychologist Foad Afshar of aggravated felonious sexual assault. A jury found Afshar, whose license had lapsed, guilty of touching the genitals of a 12 year old during an appointment, and he is now serving a 3- to 6-year prison sentence. Afshar is appealing the case.
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