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Adam Horowitz Law [Fort Lauderdale, FL]
December 18, 2024
This week in France, a verdict is expected in what may be the world’s most widely followed case of sexual assault. Earlier this month, the head of the largest denomination in England resigned because of his complicity in a child molesting cleric’s crimes. We at Horowitz Law wouldn’t normally opine on—and don’t take—cases in other countries. However, several important lessons can be learned from these recent high-profile scandals. These two cases – against a French retiree and an English archbishop – are especially egregious and deserve more attention, especially because, as we mentioned above, a jury is expected to hand down a verdict in that matter case any day now.
First, take a deep breath before reading further, especially if you haven’t followed the trial of Dominique Pelicot, who repeatedly, over nine years, drugged his wife of 50 years, raped her, and invited dozens of strangers to rape her while she was unconscious. He allegedly committed other sex crimes, too, but we don’t want to overwhelm you with the full, dreadful array of allegations.
We at Horowitz Law have seen and heard about – and fought against – all kinds of sexual violence. But Pelicot’s crimes are genuinely nauseating, and among the very worst we’ve ever encountered. It might be tempting to think of the perpetrator of these almost unprecedented crimes as a ‘one off,’ a rarity, an aberration, a man so uniquely complex and depraved that there might not be larger lessons we can learn from this horror.
We at Horowitz Law disagree. Here are just five valuable lessons:
Lesson #1: Even the very worst sex offender can present as normal. Now, Pelicot’s family describes him as the worst sexual predator in recent French history. But he was called “a family man” who reportedly liked cycling in the French countryside, took his son and grandson to football matches, and was good at celebrating birthdays.” His eldest son, David, has said, “All my friends saw him as a role model” and “would say how lucky I was to have a dad like that.” One newspaper report wrote that he is “a seemingly nice man. . .dressed in a polo shirt and shorts.” One of his victims said the retiree has “puppy eyes” and looks like a “poor innocent.” Like the overwhelming majority of those who prey on the vulnerable and innocent, Pelicot successfully cultivated an unremarkable public image of being a completely normal guy.
So let’s work hard to let go of our natural inclination to think thoughts like, “I’ll bet that rapist just looked creepy. Sometimes, I can look at a guy and tell that he’s sexually troubled, and usually, you can sense that something’s wrong with one of these predators after you get to know them a little bit.” For more on how a sex offender can come across as just an average guy,” click here:
Lesson #2: When a potential sex crime happens, police should go beyond ‘the bare minimum. Mazan police had enough evidence to prosecute Pelicot for violating the privacy of the women who saw him take photos of them up their skirts. But they took the crucial added step of searching his computer, opening a file he had titled “Abuse,” and discovering proof of the mind-boggling crimes he committed against his wife and others. Remember: those with sexual compulsions often pursue those compulsions in multiple ways. No one should assume that a man who creates, views, and shares child sexual abuse material only creates, views, and shares child sexual abuse material and doesn’t commit actual, physical sex crimes. No one should assume that a ‘peeping Tom’ only ‘peeps’ and never lays a hand on a woman.
Lesson #3: You should take it seriously when an unbiased person or source says, “You should report this to the police.” A security guard caught Pelicot taking those up-skirt photos of women in a shopping area. Several of the women were confused, embarrassed, and reluctant to act, but the guard prodded them to contact the police and press charges. Some did, and “the rest is history.” Had they not done so, Pelicot might still be violating his wife today. Now, on to Justin Welby, the now-disgraced Archbishop of Canterbury. We won’t belabor his well-documented actions in concealing and enabling clergy sex crimes, especially by Fr. John Smyth, who, according to one news account, “is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.” Why? Because regular readers of this blog are already all-too-familiar with this kind of callous inaction by countless church officials in this country. Instead, we’ll focus strictly on the lessons to be learned from Welby’s now infamous ‘apology,’ because we believe it shows just how self-centered and out-of-touch so many top religious figures are these days, particularly when it comes to sexual violence.
Lesson #4: Abuse and cover-ups aren’t joking matters. Please take just two minutes to hear Welby’s ill-advised, hurtful, and tone-deaf comments made shortly after he stepped down. How bad were Welby’s remarks? So bad that, according to the BBC, “three lead bishops for safeguarding in the Church of England described the speech as ‘utterly insensitive.’” One survivor who was groomed and beaten by Fr. Smyth said, “I object to the use of such a frivolous tone in such a serious matter – a matter that has been, and continues to be, a matter of life and death to some.” Another said the tone of Welby’s speech was “entirely wrong” and left him feeling “disgusted.”
Lesson #5: When you have a chance to apologize again, do it right the next time. To his credit, just one day after his so-called ‘apology,’ Welby realized that his performance was widely panned, so he issued another statement expressing regret. It wasn’t much better. But in his statement, Welby said, “I continue to feel a profound sense of shame at the Church of England’s historic safeguarding failures.”
First, let us re-emphasize a point we at Horowitz Law have made many times before: abuse cover-ups are usually not ‘failures.’ A ‘failure’ is swinging a bat at a baseball and missing. A ‘failure’ is going to the grocery store with a list of five items, forgetting one, and only coming home with four. The word ‘failure’ means a good faith effort that went awry. Refusing to believe an accuser, taking common-sense precautions (like suspending an alleged child molester), or calling the police is NOT a ‘failure.’ Those are CHOICES, not ‘failures.’ Using the word ‘failure’ to disguise a selfish or irresponsible decision is wrong. And hurtful. And self-serving.
None of the rest of us should tolerate this. What happened in the UK and France has happened and can happen here. Though we’re, of course, tempted to look away from these stomach-turning scandals, let’s instead look hard at them, learn from them, and work to prevent similar horrors here and now.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by religious authority figures and other clergy. If you need a lawyer because a member of a religious organization sexually abused you, contact us today at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help.