Susan K. Smith 24 East Main Street Highlights
Civil Statutes of Limitations for Childhood Sexual Abuse for all 50 States First Steps: I want to bring a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse, what should I do? Updated: The Mandatory Reporting Page Updated: Civil Statutes of Limitations For Childhood Sexual Abuse - All States
The Fine Print: This web site provides general information only and cannot be relied upon as legal advice. Laws change and differ from State to State. Applicability of the legal principles discussed may differ substantially in individual situations. You should consult an attorney about your particular situation. COPYRIGHT © 1998-07 Susan K. Smith, Atty. All Rights Reserved |
Discovery
of Reardon Pornography Stash The Lesson of the Pictures by Sue Smith When I represented a number of Dr. Reardon's victims during the 90's and early 2000's, the question always was "Where are the pictures?" Those of us involved in the case knew they existed, knew there were a lot of them, and speculated as to where they might be. Some investigators felt they would be located in the house on Griswold Street in West Hartford. I speculated that they would be discovered in the cabin near Lake George. We knew it was not uncommon for pedophiles to hide their trophy pictures in walls and under floors. We also knew it was common for pedophiles to accumulate thousands of pictures to keep as trophies or to trade with other pedophiles. So when someone ran up to me in the court house on November 28, 2007 to tell me the news, I was not surprised. "So, they were in the house after all," was my response. I must admit surprise, however, to the number of pictures. We knew that Dr. Reardon had lots of victims and took lots of pictures. But 50,000 slides is a lot of pictures especially in view of the fact that Dr. Reardon told me (in a deposition) that he developed the slides himself at home (for the convenience of his patients). Given the number of victims and number of slides, it is hard to imagine that Reardon had time to do his job at the Hospital. I had talked to dozens of Dr. Reardon's victims in the past and now have spoken to dozens more. One thing never changes: the way childhood sexual abuse alters the course of a victim's life. So many adults who are limited by closed down emotions. So many lives that never met expectations. So many impaired by anger or addiction. So many haunted by shame. A common thread prevails: now they can tell their story because they will be believed. The pictures have done that for them. The pictures now say what they could never muster the courage to say: Dr. Reardon was a monster. The pictures have done something else. They make it impossible for Saint Frances to say that the examinations and pictures were for medical science. The number of pictures and growing number of victims make the "we never knew" excuse seem lame and disingenuous. Over 30 years, how many heads turned away. How many colleagues and administrators whispered behind closed doors about the "weird" doctor who was always and exclusively in the company of children? The larger lesson of the pictures is that they graphically represent the life's work of a pedophile. Studies have shown that the "average" pedophile has hundreds of victims over the course of a lifetime. The numbers of victims demonstrate that our current laws are ineffective to prosecute victims when the victims are able to come forward. There could be ... and probably is ... another pedophile like Dr. Reardon that preying on victims in our towns. And there are victims who are at the age where they could be a complaining witness in a criminal case who could come forward. But the statute of limitations for those victims would prevent prosecution because our current statute does not allow prosecutors to reach back in time to arrest perpetrators. All the victims ...the faces in the pictures... who are now standing up to be counted are making a statement that institutions and legislatures must do a better job protecting children from career pedophiles like Reardon.
Last Revised 12/28/2007. Copyright Susan K. Smith |
