Clifford Taylor blames victim, story goes viral. Taylor, a child rapist from Ohio, is blaming the 5-year-old victim for his actions.
Clifford Taylor blames victim and his lawyer after getting a 22-year sentence for the rape of his former girlfriend’s five-year-old daughter. Taylor was baby-sitting the child when the crime occurred.
The 5-year-old girl told her mother about the incident that happened between January 2012 and July 2013. Taylor, 51, a former research scientist was convicted on two counts of rape.
Last month, Taylor agreed to a plea deal in Lake County Common Pleas Court, but on November 12, he blamed his lawyer, Assistant County Public Defender James Mathews, for not telling him the truth about the plea. Taylor told Judge Eugene A. Lucci:
“I need to rescind the plea deal. I was not told the truth by my attorney. He threatened me. I was threatened with mental incompetence. He threatened me, saying there was some reason I wasn’t thinking properly.”
Lucci did not support his argument. The judge replied, saying:
“You are represented by a very competent counsel. I consider him to be highly competent and specialized in the area of criminal law.”
According to reports, before taking the plea, Taylor was asked several times, if he was making his decision knowingly and voluntarily. Taylor confessed on Oct. 15 that he bribed the child with Pudding Pop when she was hungry, on November 12, he wanted to take back his old statement. The child rapist explained:
“It’s not true! I was told to lie to you by the man sitting right next to me. I don’t even remember what I told you. But it wasn’t true. The lie was that I put my penis in her mouth for Pudding Pops. My penis did get in her mouth, but I didn’t put it in there. She put it in there. She grabbed me. She was experimenting. I was drunk and realized it too late.”
The judge refused to consider Taylor’s motion to withdraw his plea and instead gave him two additional years compared to what was agreed upon by both sides. Lucci was not impressed by Taylor’s behavior. The judge said:
“There was not a scintilla of remorse. Even in court he blamed the victim for taking his penis in her mouth as a form of experimentation. At the age of 5!”
Taylor’s attorney no longer wants to represent the Chardon man, who was declared a sex offender for life, according to the News-Herald.
What are your thoughts on Clifford Taylor blaming his victim?
