A Nova Scotia, Canada woman who Monday confronted the man who sexually abused her when she was a child said she was empowered by the meeting.
Karyn Tannahill-Blackburn, 44, was a child when Edwin Gerard Achorn, 71, abused her decades ago. Achorn lived on the same Cole Harbour street as her and assaulted her and another girl.
Achorn was in court Monday for sentencing on two counts of sexual assault.
Tannahill-Blackburn's name was under a publication ban because of the sexual assault, but she applied to have the ban lifted. The ban is still in place for the second victim.
“I feel empowered inside of my heart,” she said. “I feel absolutely free that the world can see me. That I don’t have to hide anymore.”
Tannahill-Blackburn delivered her victim impact statement on the trauma Achorn had caused her. She told the court his home was often a gathering place for neighbourhood kids.
She said she still suffers from panic attacks and mood swings because of Achorn's crimes. She can't enjoy being tickled by her own children because it stirs up memories of what Achorn did to her, she said.
“All of my life I have wanted to face him and tell him he hurt me. My entire life. And today that came true. It was my day,” she told the CBC.
She wants to share her story to encourage others, she said. “Hiding and keeping secrets to me equals shame and I have nothing to feel shame about," she said.
Achorn listened to her statement in court with his head lowered. "He had shame," she said. "And I felt proud. A sense of victory for me."
This story is very reminiscent of another post on my other blog which has become very popular. It's about restorative justice and the powerful effect it had on both the victim and the rapist. It can be found at: http://northwoodsministries.blogspot.ca/2013/11/restorative-justice-power-of-forgiveness.html
Achorn abused the girls in the 1970s and 1980s. He traumatized both victims so badly that they still suffer today, the court heard.
Tannahill-Blackburn went to police in the 1980s and 1990s, but the case didn't move forward. She finally had success in the early 2000s, when a Canada-wide warrant was issued for Achorn's arrest.
Achorn is originally from Cole Harbour and moved his family to Australia two decades ago when police began investigating the initial complaints involving the two girls. He was arrested in late 2010 in Los Angeles en route to Nova Scotia to visit his sick mother.
Earlier this year, Achorn was scheduled to stand trial in Dartmouth on 11 charges, but instead entered guilty pleas on two counts of sexual assault. He's been free on $10,000 cash bail.
The second woman also gave a victim impact statement Monday in Dartmouth provincial court.
"She told the court, 'He took everything from me and left me broken,'" said the CBC's Jack Julian.
The woman has attempted suicide multiple times and been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment, she said, as a result of the sexual abuse.
The judge heard the victim impact statements and submissions from the Crown and defence lawyers. They are jointly recommending a 30-month sentence. 30 months? That means he will be out of prison in a year - for 11 original counts of child sex abuse leading one victim to attempt suicide several times. That's a pretty darn good deal for Achorn. I'm disgusted that the Crown counsel would agree to that.
Thank God Karyn was able to put some of the trauma behind her. Please pray for the other victim to be able to come to a place of forgiveness so she can also move on.
The judge will decide on the sentence and deliver it Tuesday.
Karyn Tannahill-Blackburn, 44, was a child when Edwin Gerard Achorn, 71, abused her decades ago. Achorn lived on the same Cole Harbour street as her and assaulted her and another girl.
Achorn was in court Monday for sentencing on two counts of sexual assault.
Tannahill-Blackburn's name was under a publication ban because of the sexual assault, but she applied to have the ban lifted. The ban is still in place for the second victim.
“I feel empowered inside of my heart,” she said. “I feel absolutely free that the world can see me. That I don’t have to hide anymore.”
 |
| Karyn Tannahill-Blackburn |
She said she still suffers from panic attacks and mood swings because of Achorn's crimes. She can't enjoy being tickled by her own children because it stirs up memories of what Achorn did to her, she said.
“All of my life I have wanted to face him and tell him he hurt me. My entire life. And today that came true. It was my day,” she told the CBC.
She wants to share her story to encourage others, she said. “Hiding and keeping secrets to me equals shame and I have nothing to feel shame about," she said.
Achorn listened to her statement in court with his head lowered. "He had shame," she said. "And I felt proud. A sense of victory for me."
This story is very reminiscent of another post on my other blog which has become very popular. It's about restorative justice and the powerful effect it had on both the victim and the rapist. It can be found at: http://northwoodsministries.blogspot.ca/2013/11/restorative-justice-power-of-forgiveness.html
Achorn abused the girls in the 1970s and 1980s. He traumatized both victims so badly that they still suffer today, the court heard.
Tannahill-Blackburn went to police in the 1980s and 1990s, but the case didn't move forward. She finally had success in the early 2000s, when a Canada-wide warrant was issued for Achorn's arrest.
Achorn is originally from Cole Harbour and moved his family to Australia two decades ago when police began investigating the initial complaints involving the two girls. He was arrested in late 2010 in Los Angeles en route to Nova Scotia to visit his sick mother.
Earlier this year, Achorn was scheduled to stand trial in Dartmouth on 11 charges, but instead entered guilty pleas on two counts of sexual assault. He's been free on $10,000 cash bail.
The second woman also gave a victim impact statement Monday in Dartmouth provincial court.
"She told the court, 'He took everything from me and left me broken,'" said the CBC's Jack Julian.
The woman has attempted suicide multiple times and been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment, she said, as a result of the sexual abuse.
The judge heard the victim impact statements and submissions from the Crown and defence lawyers. They are jointly recommending a 30-month sentence. 30 months? That means he will be out of prison in a year - for 11 original counts of child sex abuse leading one victim to attempt suicide several times. That's a pretty darn good deal for Achorn. I'm disgusted that the Crown counsel would agree to that.
Thank God Karyn was able to put some of the trauma behind her. Please pray for the other victim to be able to come to a place of forgiveness so she can also move on.
The judge will decide on the sentence and deliver it Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment