A former youth pastor from the Grace Brethren Church, John Picard, has been convicted on 42 counts of sexual battery reports the Mansfield News Journal. The ex-pastor was found guilty of all counts against him, which were related to forming sexual relationships with female parishioners. This trial included charges from six different victims who suffered sexual abuse from Picard. One victim had assisted in the conviction of Picard by helping police in their investigation and having a taped phone conversation. The victim had been abused by Picard initially when she was 13 years old. The first complaint against Picard came in 2005 when the first victim came forward. Police had been unable to build a case against the offending pastor until the taped phone call evidence was acquired with the help of this female victim, who is now 29 years old.
If you or a loved one has suffered from clergy abuse, it is important to your future that you get assistance from a clergy abuse attorney. The legal team at the Zalkin Law Firm is dedicated to fighting for fair compensation in clergy abuse cases.
