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Ignorance of age not valid defense in sex cases, expert says Page 3 of 3
the act of abuse produces behavior in the victims that further damages their credibility." Examples
include promiscuous behavior and drug abuse.
Some of the alleged victims in the Epstein case returned to his home multiple times for the massage
sessions and the $200 to $300 he typically paid them per visit. "That would be a definite problem for the
prosecutor," said Betty Resch, who prosecuted crimes against children in Palm Beach County for five
years and now is in private practice in Lake Worth.
"The victim becomes less sympathetic" to a jury, Resch said. "But she's a victim nevertheless. She's a
kid."
Most men charged with sex crimes against minors look normal, Dekle said. A jury expecting to see a
monster seldom will. And the victims' ages work against them and in favor of the defendant in a trial,
Dekle said.
If a child and an adult tell different stories and both swear they're telling the truth, adult jurors are more
likely to believe the adult, Dekle said.
"You have all these things working against you in a child sex abuse case. Prosecutors normally try to be
very careful in filing those cases because they know what they're getting into. There is no such thing as
an iron-clad child sexual abuse case."
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