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Teacher cleared of sex assault reveals his nightmare
dailymail.co.uk ^ | 5-15-11 | Katie Silver

Posted on 05/15/2011 11:51:00 AM PDT by rawhide

A PE teacher falsely accused of molesting a 12-year-old schoolgirl has spoken of his pain at telling his children he was going to be arrested.

Sean Lanigan was pulled out of a class in Fairfax, Virginia, and told he was going to be arrested for allegedly carrying out the offences.

In reality his 'crimes' had been invented and the schoolgirl bore a grudge against him.

Despite being cleared of all the offences, the teacher’s $125,000 legal fees still haven’t been repaid by the state and he is struggling to get his life back.

The young girl claimed that the teacher had taken him into the gym and said he was going to ‘treat her like a Queen’ and briefly groped her.

This line, it turns out is a lyric from one or her favourite music bands, the Ataris.

He had told his ‘victim’ off for being abusive on the school bus and the girl apparently told her friends: ‘Mr Lanigan’s a jerk. I’m going to make him pay.’

When it came to trial, the jury took only 47 minutes to decide he was not guilty. Such a short deliberation in a child sex abuse case is extremely rare.

They described it as an ‘easy decision’ since ‘there was no evidence.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: centreville; cleared; fairfaxcounty; principle; school; sexual
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To: rawhide

On a similar note, I have just been through my companies’ “Sexual Harassment Training Class”. The course is total BS but I understand completely why my company does it. We were taught never to put yourself into any position where you “might be vulnerable to being accused” of sexual harassment. This is very frightening. If has turned us into Robots in the work environment. At lunch the other we were discussing the finding of porno in the material confiscated when the Seals took out Bin Laden. This was in the company cafeteria. We were discussing just what this meant in light of Islam’s treatment of women. When a woman came to sit at our table, I changed the topic of conversation. Just broaching this topic should be seen as sexual harassment. This is madness I know as I watched this topic on a number of TV and radio shows. But that shows where we are at.


21 posted on 05/15/2011 12:12:47 PM PDT by truthguy (Good intentions are not enough.)
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To: Scotsman will be Free

“Child Protective Services in the state of Washington has a simple philosophy. If a child states that his parents are abusive he is telling the truth. If the child refuses to accuse his parents he has been intimidated, coerced or brainwashed by the parents. If the child accuses a CPS worker or school “counselor” of misdeeds they are liars.”

It’s a very tough problem. The flip side is that child abuse does occur, and often abused children defend their parents (a sort of Stockholm syndrome).


22 posted on 05/15/2011 12:14:22 PM PDT by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: rawhide

I think this happens more than it is reported. From what I gather, many allegations are left without action beyond the initial investigation. The problem of course is the accused will always have this hanging over him from the gossip that follows.


23 posted on 05/15/2011 12:15:27 PM PDT by Mouton (Voting is an opiate of the electorate. Nothing changes no matter who wins..)
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To: pieceofthepuzzle

The main problem is that CPS is staffed with liberal social workers who couldn’t investigate their way out of a wet paper bag and who have a liberal’s view of what child abuse is.


24 posted on 05/15/2011 12:19:36 PM PDT by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: Elendur

We raised a special needs child who ended up with a judgment against her for something she did as a juvenile. The state tried to convince us that we had to pay. We did not and resisted. Unless someone can show me that these parents were directly culpable for her actions, I don’t believe that they should be held financially responsible. The cops who indicted him without a better investigation should be responsible.


25 posted on 05/15/2011 12:21:42 PM PDT by Mercat (BHO, Ditherer in Chief)
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To: George from New England

That too is fine with me, providing they pay out of their own pockets, and don’t bilk taxpayers who are already paying for lousy legislation.


26 posted on 05/15/2011 12:25:05 PM PDT by pallis
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To: pnh102
Teaching just is not a job for men anymore.

This is all part of the leftist, Feminist agenda to destroy men and marriage, as well as families.

The massive influx of female teachers, and their usual leftist teachings, are the point of the spear in the destruction of our free society by indoctrinating children to be subservient to the government and all things PC.

27 posted on 05/15/2011 12:26:03 PM PDT by OldMissileer (Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, PK. Winners of the Cold War)
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To: truthguy
Went to the same training before I retired, it was a hoot. The Union Guys destroyed the two cute Trainers sent out by corporate. I had a case of walking pneumonia and had to walk away to keep from chocking to death from laughing.
28 posted on 05/15/2011 12:27:45 PM PDT by Little Bill (Sorry)
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To: Scotsman will be Free
The main problem is that CPS is staffed with liberal social workers who couldn’t investigate their way out of a wet paper bag and who have a liberal’s view of what child abuse is.

That's a big part of the problem. And the other big part is these damn District Attorneys who are out to make a name for themselves. Most of these people know full well that many of those accused are completely innocent but proceed with the case regardless. It doesn't seem to matter to these people that the case is bogus and that lives will be destroyed. If you question them on this, they will say they are just doing their job.

Duke Lacrosse is a good example of this. At least in this case, those accused were offered compensation. The District Attorney who pursued this case name should be make public and they should receive the scorn of the public. I'll wager that in this DA's heart of hearts, he/she (and I'll bet it's a she) knew this guy was totally innocent.
29 posted on 05/15/2011 12:29:47 PM PDT by truthguy (Good intentions are not enough.)
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To: culpeper

Andthe get paid and paid well while doing it.


30 posted on 05/15/2011 12:30:01 PM PDT by sport
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To: rawhide

I don’t understand why any male would want to become a teacher. And here’s Exhibit A.


31 posted on 05/15/2011 12:34:09 PM PDT by OldPossum
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To: Clintons Are White Trash

Same thing happened to a friend of mine. the guy was 65 y/o impotent, diabetic, and a clean record for over 35 years.

He went to court, jail, etc, and was finally cleared on appeal after a tape surfaced later on showing he was clearly innocent. His life was ruined.


32 posted on 05/15/2011 12:37:04 PM PDT by GlockThe Vote (F U B O ! ! !)
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To: rawhide

That 12 year old girl was FULLY aware of what the consequences would be.

Now she should pay hers.


33 posted on 05/15/2011 12:37:04 PM PDT by chesley (Eat what you want, and die like a man.)
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To: rawhide

Why can’t he file suit against this little slut and her parents for the amount of the legal fees?


34 posted on 05/15/2011 12:38:14 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (A "Moderate Muslim"? Nothing more than a Muslim Extremist who has run out of ammo.)
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To: rawhide

You can put me on the falsely accused list. I never met the child in question, but the child was well known by my parents and siblings. Fortunately for me I was out for the country for an extended time that including the time of the accusation, and it only took a quick look at my passport by the sheriff sent to investigate to clear me. My brother was not as lucky, and spent quite a bit of time trying to get clear of accusactions by the same girl.


35 posted on 05/15/2011 12:38:58 PM PDT by T. P. Pole
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To: pieceofthepuzzle

Still, if the poliice investigators cannot gather corroborating evidence, they shoud have no case.


36 posted on 05/15/2011 12:40:41 PM PDT by chesley (Eat what you want, and die like a man.)
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To: pallis

The girl and her family should be made to pay every penny this has cost him,

In America, parents, although they have produced them, are no longer responsible for their offspring. Responsibility for their offspring is reassigned to the public and its servants, e.g. teachers. Children are only to serve the parents,' primarily the mothers,' ego's. Blame and the Refusal of Responsibility are the sacred foundation of the LEFT and its Lawyers.

Hence we must, as Hillary along with Karl Marx and a whole lot of conditioned world citizens advocate, re-allocate all responsibility to the "village." It is after all "for the children."

37 posted on 05/15/2011 12:44:13 PM PDT by jnsun (The Left: the need to manipulate others because of nothing productive to offer.)
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To: Carley

“There is no way to protect yourself from this type of charge.”

Yes there is. If you work with children, work only in a location where you are supervised or visible by other adults the entire time. Spend only a minute or two in the restroom. Period.

This works for the gym where my kids practice. They do not take the little one’s to the bathroom - the parent must be present to do so. All coaches are observable 100% of the time, even in their break room. Since this is policy, there can’t be abuse. If a kid said someone took him alone it would be impossible.


38 posted on 05/15/2011 12:50:40 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: rawhide

Prisons are filled with such innocent men.


39 posted on 05/15/2011 12:54:31 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember (When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.)
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To: pnh102

But But a child molestation conviction look’s sooo good when running for higher office.
We as a nation may look our noses down at other corrupt governments but let me tell you,we’re not so different. Cases brought up like this one are absolutely evidence of corruption on the governments part. Corruption isn’t just about money changing hand’s after all.


40 posted on 05/15/2011 1:01:42 PM PDT by wiggen (The teacher card. When the racism card just won't work.)
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