Posted on 10/21/2009 10:52:20 AM PDT by Colofornian
Fillmore -- The father looked at Keith Gillins, his daughter's former teacher, and said he would never forgive him.
"My daughter's life has been scarred forever by you," the father told Gillins.
Then, the father addressed the people in Millard County who suggested his daughter was responsible: "Shame on you."
Gillins on Wednesday received three sentences of three years to life in prison for a sexual relationship with a former Millard High School student. Fourth District Court Judge Donald Eyre also sentenced Gillins to two terms of 1 to 15 years in prison. All five counts will run concurrently and include charges filed in both Juab and Millard counties.
The Salt Lake Tribune typically does not identify victims of sex crimes.
Gillins' defense attorney, Jim Slavens, argued for a one-year jail sentence and probation. Slavens made legal arguments, but also pointed to Gillins' history in Fillmore. Gillins, 61, is a long-time teacher who also coached the Millard High boys basketball team to its only state championship. He was Fillmore's mayor for 12 years and an LDS bishop in the town.
Besides losing his position in the community, Gillins was divorced by his wife of 41 years and won't be allowed to teach again.
The Juab and Millard county attorneys and the victim's family asked for prison time. Juab County Attorney Jared Eldridge disclosed Gillins recently admitted to fondling a Beaver High School student when he was a teacher there about 35 years ago.
Gillins cultivated a relationship with the Millard High student and offered her a teaching assistant position in the school, Eldridge said. "This is a pattern that occurred over months," he said.
Gillins also sought to portray the relationship as romantic rather than abusive, Eldridge said.
The victim attended the hearing but did not speak. But Heidi Nestel, a lawyer retained by the victim's family, read aloud from a letter by the victim. "He is a sick, sick man and I hate him," Nestel read.
Gillins, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit, leaned forward to watch Nestel and the father speak but showed no reaction. Eldridge said the girl, now 18, postponed college because of Gillins and left town when he was free on bail.
Gillins was the last to address the judge and apologized to the victim, her family, his family, the town, and educators and coaches across the state. "After this day, she [the victim] will never, ever hear from me again," Gillins said.
In explaining his ruling, Eyre noted Gillins had contacted the victim despite a court order and said there were three instances of sex or sexual contact with the girl in Gillins' classroom.
"When parents send their children to school, when I send my children to school, it's supposed to be a place of refuge," Eyre said.
Guy goes to jail for life. Female gets probation. Justice!
Wonder what a woman in a similar situation would have got for sleeping with an underage boy (is there such a thing ?).
How can this be reconciled with the light sentences the hot teacher of the week gets when a male student is seduced?
What’s up with posting all the teacher/sex threads today?
Beat me to it.
Not defending what he did, but this is not about justice. This is about demonizing men, plain and simple.
Where’s the picture so the women on FR can get on here and decide if he is hot enough to not be guilty? heavy sarcasm
Three years to life, concurrent - probably not life then - faithful attendance at counselling sessions, some expressed remorse and insight, plans to volunteer at a nursing home or food bank and keep out of contact with children, good behavior in prison - five years.
School is a place of refuge? They’ve obviously never been to NYC public schools.
(Perhaps some of them are too wrapped up in protecting either their state reputation or the religious one that tends to be linked with it).
If this can happen in a highly religious state -- though it's a state, I might add, that was about #17 in sex offenders as of a few years ago -- then few of our kids are safe in these settings.
There's a movement afoot, "No More Stolen Childhoods" -- (www.nomorestolenchildhoods.org) which needs serious addressing.
What happened to equal administration of the law? Women get probation and men get three years to life for the exact same offense! It’s time to end the insanity.
Male teacher????
Why’d they even have a trial?
I think you are misunderstanding the nature of the rule.
It only came about because it was observed that the ‘hot’ female teachers were not being punished as severely as the ‘not so hot’ female teachers.
I think you are misunderstanding the nature of the rule.
It only came about because it was observed that the ‘hot’ female teachers were not being punished as severely as the ‘not so hot’ female teachers.
It may have come about that way but it has morphed. I have seen men on this site defending a women pedophile because they would have liked to have slept with a hot teacher when they were young. They don’t think the boys are victims. It happens on every thread about a female teacher.
Thank you for this post. In particular, I am glad to see that parents are asking for maximums and that victims are calling this abuse what it is.
This type of devastation is hard to recover from
It is because so many of you males give out hoorahs ain’t it great that that teenager nailed an older woman
I for one am outraged by ALL such acts and think that long sentences for the teacher ( adult) should be mandatory
concurrent sentencing is stupid
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.