Victims and families oppose Governor Baker’s pardons in Fells Acres Daycare sex abuse case

BOSTON — In one of his final acts before leaving office, Governor Charlie Baker is seeking to pardon Gerald Amirault and Cheryl LeFave for their roles in the Fells Acres Daycare sex abuse case.

The move is outraging victims, like Jennifer Benett.

“I’m sickened, sickened that this is going on again. Not only for myself, but for other victims who have gone through this,” Bennett said.

Bennett was one of many preschool children who told their parents they were sexually assaulted at Fells Acres in Malden in the 1980′s.

Gerald Amirault served 18 years in prison, and his sister Cheryl LeFave served 8 years.

Their mother, Violet Amirault who also was convicted in the case, died in 1997.

Gerald Amirault will soon finish his parole, but the Governor’s pardon will wipe clear his record and remove him from the Sex Offender Registry, where he is listed as a Level 3, most likely to re-offend.

Bennett is fighting back.

“I got the life sentence, not him. I live with this every single day. He is a guilty, guilty, guilty man,” Bennett said.

The Fells Acres case is controversial because there has long been criticism that investigators asked the children leading questions. But Boston 25 Reporter Bob Ward spoke to several parents who said they are convinced the sexual abuse happened, all those years ago.

One mom told Ward, she knew from the beginning, her child was telling the truth.

“She was told everything was a big secret and that if she told anybody, that Mommy would die,” Harriet Dell-Anno said.

Another mother told Ward, long before the police were involved, her little boy told her what happened.

“Has your son ever recanted what he told you all those years ago?” I asked.

Barbara Standkey, a victim’s mother says, “no, in fact, he talks about it to this day. I don’t believe he should be pardoned. Because our children are living a life sentence and he should not get a pardon.”

The Amiraults have long argued they were wrongly convicted, that the case against them was built on hysteria over sex abuse at other daycare centers in the 1980s.

But victims and their families said the system got it right in the Fells Acres case.

They believe the convictions should stand.

“Where’s my pardon? Where’s my daughter’s pardon? When can we erase what happened to us?” Brenda Hurley-McCarthy said.

“If you erase his record, you might as well erase every Level 3 sex offender out there. No rape victim is going to want to seek any help if Baker does this,” Jennifer Bennett added.

Here is what Baker tells Boston 25 ahead of Tuesday’s hearing:

“The three Superior Court judges all of who felt the trials were not appropriate and called questions on both evidence and matters of law.” “I think this an appropriate issue for the Governor’s Council to deal with and I do believe since they didn’t get ever a new trial the tree times it was rejected, this is the appropriate move.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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