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A WOMAN HAS said she is shocked by a Utah judge’s comments in which he called a former Mormon bishop convicted of sexually assaulting her a “good man” during his sentencing hearing.
Julia Kirby said that Judge Thomas Low appeared to care more for her attacker than he did about her.
“He only cared about the person he was convicting, and I think that is really kind of despicable,” said the 23-year-old Kirby, who has given The Associated Press permission to publish her name
Low sentenced Keith Robert Vallejo to up to life in prison this week after a jury found him guilty of 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of object rape.
Kirby said she was 19 when Vallejo, a relative, groped her multiple times when she stayed at his house while attending Brigham Young University in 2013.
Kirby plans to file an official complaint against Low in the hopes of getting him removed as a judge.
Low is facing a deluge of complaints after saying “The court has no doubt that Mr Vallejo is an extraordinarily good man…. But great men sometimes do bad things.”
The criticism began around the time Low freed Vallejo from custody after a jury convicted him, said Jennifer Yim, executive director of the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.
But Yim said most of the roughly 40 emails, six voicemails and some Facebook messages received since late March came after Low sentenced Vallejo this week and seemed to get emotional during the hearing.
Ryan McBride, the prosecutor on the case, said Low’s comments were inappropriate and said it may have come in response to more than 50 character letters about Vallejo, most of them detailing the good things he has done. The defendant’s brother spoke at the hearing and compared Vallejo to Jesus in making the argument that he was wrongly convicted, McBride said.
“I don’t think it’s wrong to acknowledge the good things that someone has done in their lives,” the prosecutor said. “But I think whenever you do that in a case like this, you’ve also got to say, ‘But it doesn’t excuse what you’ve done.’ ”
Low declined comment through a court spokesman.
“I maintain my innocence,” Vallejo said during the hearing after a brief comment on how the justice system bullies people into confessing.
Mormon Stronghold
The abuse occurred in Provo, a Mormon stronghold that is home to Brigham Young University. Low attended the school, where almost all students are Mormon, but it is not clear whether he is a member of the faith.
There was no indication that the judge had any prior relationship with Vallejo, McBride said. Low would have to disclose something like that, he said.
In the faith, bishops are regular church members who lead their congregations for four to five years. The position is unpaid and part of the religion’s lay clergy structure that makes it different from many other religions.
Low’s comments also sparked outrage on Friday from advocates for sexual assault victims.
“The signal that it sends to sexual violence survivors is that if you choose to disclose, that we’re still going to treat your perpetrator as if they’re a good person,” Turner Bitton, executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
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Amnesty and Soros can do as they please.
Amnesty should never have got involved in the campaign……..
@Fat Face 99: Of course they should. It’s my right as a woman to determine if and when I want to give birth.
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: wow! So you can hold it in indefinitely?
@Condorcanqui: No but I decide whether or not I continue with the pregnancy.
@Condorcanqui: No but I determine whether or not I end the pregnancy early. Don’t I!
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: nobody said you shouldn’t, so deep breaths………
@Fat Face 99: The anti choice crowd certainly did and still do. Try some deep breaths yourself.
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: yawn…….
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: Maybe the real point is whether an organisation set up to defend prisoners of vicious regimes overseas should have bothered taking on the Iona Institute over a political matter here, there’s enough people to do that already.
@Squiddley Diddley: Amnesty International was founded to defend and uphold human rights, this includes, but is not limited to prisoners of vicious regimes overseas. I would argue that the referendum on the 8th was a human rights issue, whichever side of the debate you were on.
@Karen Wellington: Was set up for what became known as ‘prisoners of conscience’, following some high profiles cases detailed by the founder in an Observer article called The Forgotten Prisoners in 1961.
@Karen Wellington: I would be on your side, just think Amnesty shouldn’t have diluted their message and embroiled themselves in domestic stuff. There was no need. They have done harm to the Amnesty name. Younger people have probably never heard the term ‘prisoners of conscience’ or that there used to be a tradition of caring about and campaigning for them.
@Squiddley Diddley: fair enough, for the first 10 years they had a narrower remit but for the last 40-odd years they’ve established themselves as advocates for those suffering human rights abuses. Why wouldn’t / shouldn’t they have gotten involved in the 8th Ref?
@Squiddley Diddley: they’ve been at the human rights lark longer than the prisoner of conscience stuff. If you’re suggesting they’d get better results if they could just focus then you’re probably right.
@Ciara Ni Mhurchu: 100%!
I would suggest fitting all women of child bearing age with an implanted Bluetooth protractor that alerts your phone when the hinge angle of the lower limbs is at the range where insemination is possible /and/or likely.
I cancelled my standing order to Amnesty because I had not intended my donation to be used on, for example, ridiculous opinion polls regarding attitudes in Ireland to abortion law. I am pro-choice, but if I had wanted to donate to an abortion lobby group I would have.
I cannot remember the last time I heard Colm O’Gorman discuss overseas prisoners of conscience. He has entirely repositioned and rebranded the organisation as a domestic lobbying group on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. There were plenty of those already, and there was no need for Amnesty to duplicate that effort at the expense of unique work it could have undertaken.
@Dave Slater: Absolutely agree. In the good old days Amnesty was about help for prisoners of conscience shivering in a cell somewhere waiting the next torture session. I would be in tune with Colm O’Gormans politics and like to hear him debate on the radio but he now reminds me that the core purpose of Amnesty seems to be forgotten.
@Dave Slater: lost faith and respect for amnesty years ago when I realised that they were a serving a political agenda. I had always thought they neutral and fought for fairness from all quarters. It doesn’t matter if a political issue has merit or not, their only concern should be fairness. Really they just sell a product and something like a referendum is a money making opportunity.
@Dave Slater: Quite right. Amnesty was once a real human rights organisation set up for a particular purpose. It has lost its direction and its integrity.
@Dave Slater: As if you ever donated a cent to Amnesty
@Dave Slater: Not that long since Ibrahim Halawa is it?
@Frank McGlynn: so in recent years Amnesty Ireland directed its focus on rights for LGBT folk and women, in Ireland. What’s wrong with that? Last I checked, both those sections of society were humans
@Larissa Nikolaus: I did, actually.
@Shauna McDermott: Of course LGBT people and women are part of society. And they have groups who advocate in their behalf.
@Dave Slater: What does that mean; that you only support groups of men who exclusively help men? If you don’t like to support women as well, just say so, no need to make political excuses for being a sexist.
***FOR SALE***
Constitutional Referendums and General Elections in small banana republic on the western fringes of Europe.
Price not important so long as the ‘right-on’ PC votes are being bought.
@Kevin Sweeney: Bitter much? Perhaps you and your fake FB profile would feel more comfortable back in Russia where the election meddling is more to your liking.
@Ricky Spanish:
I’m sorry to see my country prostitute it’s democracy…..regardless of which side one takes…..as any decent citizen would be.
@Kevin Sweeney: far right annoyed yay
@Kevin Sweeney: what’s funny given is there seemed to be no problem with leaders of other states trying to call the shots in Ireland when it came to the no side in the 2018 and 2025 refs.
You were happy for the Catholic church to try dictate what was right and wrong in Ireland, and up until Facebook stopped it you were happy with millions being spent by American pro life groups lobbying for a no vote online
@Michael farrelly: The poor alt-right cry babies are upset that Ireland is slowly, but surely becoming more and more secular and their outdated moral outrage is being condemned to the dustbin of history
@Ricky Spanish: yawn
Fair play to amnesty for not taking this lying down. Proved right in the end.
@Ricky Spanish: A good result for Amnesty but SIPO certainly needs reform and additional powers.
GOOD. Colm O’Gorman was right to ignore the empty manufactured outrage from the anti choice brigade during the course of the referendum campaign.
@The Risen: hahahaha the lad with with a picture of Padraig Pearse is celebrating a decision that will enable foreign oligarchs to pump millions into our democracy and impact public opinion/ policy without consequence.
@Robert Burke: well said
@Robert Burke: LOL! As a dyed in the wool anti-choice campaigner, do you not realise how much of the No campaign ran on American fundamentalist Christian cash paying for ads on social media?
Can you point us to some of your tweets condemning foreign interference in the No campaign please? We wouldn’t want people thinking you were a hypocrite, would we??
@Robert Burke: What about the interference of far right Christian groups? That doesn’t seem to bother you!
@Robert Burke: it was for a very good cause. What’s your problem?
@The Risen: I wasn’t involved in any campaign on the 8th Referendum, but I was an advocate on social media for a No vote.
I’m against foreign funding from any group or individual in Irish society with the aim of influencing elections or policy. I made these arguments repeatedly on twitter to many people, including Colm O’Gorman, where I said I wouldn’t be in favour of the Kochs or Mercers being able to give money to Irish organisations either under the guise of Human rights grants.
Why are you complaining about foreign funding in the no campaign? You are the one celebrating the decision to allow foreign individuals and organisations make donations in the amount of hundreds of thousands to Irish groups to influence public policy or do you only want those who agree with you to be afforded this luxury? Don’t assume everyone is a hypocrite on a particular issue because you are.
@Robert Burke: Nope, I’m a level playing field man myself, i.e. all sides can do it or none.
But that’s just me.
@Robert Burke: No voter makes snide comment to Yes voter about foreign funding/influence. You don’t do irony, do you?
@The Risen: well that’s great, although the implications of the former will likely be the complete hollowing of democracy and the loss of self-determination for the Irish people over the future of this country. But hey, as long as everyone is doing it
@The Risen: so for reference, do the journal pay weekly or monthly?
@The Risen: Don’t often disagree with you Risen but I do this time.
@Robert Burke: Exactly. Including the likes of Steve Bannon, when he gets his right-wing rent-a-mob foundation going in Brussels. I oppose foreign interference in Irish politics, full stop. Don’t forget, the U.S bible thumpers were involved in forcing the 8th amendment thru in 1983.
@Riocard Ó Tiarnaigh: they were involved this time too
Just depends what side has the backing of politicians and media. Fair play risen you’ve sold your soul. Was a time I thought you where one of few persons on here who could see bullshi.e when you seen it but your no better than the fg/ tories. Turn a blind eye when suits.
@David Clarke:
* you were one
* but you’re no better
Oh, and I don’t actually believe that souls exist.
@The Risen: Jesus most of hit a nerve seeing as your picking up on my grammar haha. Off u go now pick a new profile picture and start again. For me and hopefully a lot more on here your opinion and reputation is zero after the way you’ve conducted yourself these past few months
@David Clarke: * must have hit a nerve
* seeing as you’re picking
* Off you go now
@David Clarke: You must have missed the many commenters on here after the vote thanking ‘the Risen’ for the effort he put in for the Yes campaign on these pages. Only person I saw it happening for.n
He literally challenged any No campaigner to put their best arguments forward, and then he obliterated every single one of them.
If you think he has ‘lost respect’ overall on this site, you need your head examined.
@Beyond Belief: I seen that I didn’t agree with him but yes he ran a great campaign for what he believed in. But that’s not the issue we are talking about. We are asking is it right what Amnesty did he has no problem with it I do. You and him will be the first on here if a grouping you didn’t agree with did the same. Cannot for the life of me understand how you can’t see that this is wrong. Behind it all you and the risen know it’s wrong but because it suits your side your ok with it, dangerous game to be at.
@David Clarke: The funding was used exclusively to push for a referendum to be held, it was not used during the referendum to push for a Yes vote.
Please read the article.
@David Clarke: David, I was the first person on here applauding the decision of facebook/twitter to block foreign ads so there could be a level playing field. As BB mentioned above, the disputed funding was not used during the campaign, it was used to try make the referendum happen in the first place.
@The Risen: would you consider that outside interference?
Just as well because you wouldn’t own your now. No doubt you weren’t happy with little Ian taking all that money and the six DUP guys taking money from Israel. But for some reason you don’t have a problem with this. Same as when google got involved with the repeal referendum you had no problem there either.
@David Clarke: some people very bitter with a great result
@David Clarke: what was your opening sentence supposed to say? I get the gist of your comment, but I just can’t work out what that first sentence is meant to read.
@Michael farrelly: not one bit sad maybe but this is bigger than the result which by the way I respect. The issue here is if people are comfortable and have no problem with over sea money from peoples with their own agenda what ever their side interfering in a democratic process. They should not of got involved. Colm Gorman has damage Amnesty to a very large degree and he should step down. I for one will never give another cent to them they are not what they set out to be in the first place.
@Karen Wellington: hi Karen he said he doesn’t believe in souls and I said just as well
@David Clarke: thanks, makes sense now that I know you were replying to a separate comment.
Murder of children is just that, murder. Dress it up and sanitess it all you need to too but the results are always the same.
@Greedylocks: Children are born,pet.So yes,it is murder when you kill them..Have you ever thought about going for some therapy ?
@Greedylocks: we had a vote on this, you lost
@Greedylocks: we had a vote on this, you lost
Proof Soros was directly instructing Clinton on what to do as Secretary State
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/24651
Soros and Open Societies have form medling in democracies all over the world. This is what they do, the motivation is in part to destabalize those countries in order to exploite them and in part it is also due to Soros messianic complex.
That the left should ally with the epitome of a rapacious capitalist bent societal destruction is staggering to behold.
Get the tin foil hats ready for the anti choicers
Disgusting Amnesty like usual. SorOs the thug. Wow.gets away again. Stay out of internal campaigns
The ends do not justify the means. Foreign resident billionaires should stay out of our referendums. I voted yes but still.
Bloody Soros….. Literally
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