I didn't have much hope for Shawn, but I was also hoping that Ben still retained his innocence. I'm so sorry for both of them.
I know what you are saying, but please know that both Ben and Shawn ARE innocent children. They had terrible, terrible crimes perpetrated against them and they are the victims.
They have *nothing,* nothing at all, to be ashamed of. They need all the support they can get, inclding the positive and loving thoughts of those who hear their stories.
Here's another similar article, with some more details. I'm wondering how the prosecution came up with the number of counts of sodomy. Would the boys actually have kept track of every rape?
I'm thinking the prosecution had videos.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/05/ap3397455.html