AA 12 step program gets man 18 months in jail apologizing for 20 year old ****

[Majeston]

Man Who Sent Apology Sentenced for ****
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
AP
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (March 16) - A man who sexually assaulted a University of Virginia student in 1984 and apologized to her two decades later as part of the Alcoholics Anonymous program was sentenced to 18 months in prison Thursday.

William Beebe, 42, pleaded guilty in November to one count of aggravated sexual battery for his attack on Liz Seccuro.

Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Edward Hogshire ordered a 10-year prison sentence with all but 18 months suspended, as long as Beebe performs 500 hours of community service related to issues of sexual assault and alcohol abuse on college campuses. Prosecutors had recommended two years.

"I'm not trying to excuse my behavior, but I was a different person then," Beebe said. "I have a purpose, and that gives life meaning. I didn't have that then."

 The case was revived in 2005 after Beebe wrote Seccuro a letter of apology in an attempt to make amends for the assault as part of AA's recovery program. The program's ninth step calls on alcoholics to make amends to those they have harmed -- unless doing so would cause further injury. In an exchange of e-mails that ensued, Beebe wrote: "I want to make clear that I'm not intentionally minimizing the fact of having raped you. I did."


Prosecutor Claude Worrell described Beebe's decision to apologize as selfish, and said it traumatized Seccuro all over again.





next time skip step 9 

[Jeremy Dokken]

I heard about this case.  Yep, maybe the lesson is to just best to just leave well enough alone if you've gotten away with something.  Obviously, he wasn't going to get any kind of forgiveness from the girl and only managed to drag up bad memories from something she had already forgotten.

[Volitzer]

As bad as this all is one has to wonder her degree of guilt/innocence.   

Of course it was a more naive time so who knows.