BAY CITY, MI — With leather-clad bikers behind her for moral support, a teen told the man who repeatedly sexually assaulted her that she forgives him and is determined not to let the abuse bog her down.
The motorcyclists — with such monikers as Spyder, Trigger, Hammer, Gypsy, and Irish sewn onto their apparel — are representatives of Bikers Against Child Abuse (or BACA), a nonprofit organization with chapters in 11 countries. Some stood and others sat during the April 10 sentencing hearing for 55-year-old Ibrahim J. Estephan.
Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill sentenced Estephan to eight to 15 years in prison, with credit for 223 days already served.
Wearing a leather vest herself with BACA’s fist logo on its back, the girl spoke in a firm tone when addressing Judge Gill.
“He took my childhood away and made me grow up way too soon,” the girl said. “I forgive him for what he did, but forgiving is a hard battle. I have learned from this experience that what happened does not define me. I have defeated this so I can move on in my life, to thrive and help others who went through the same thing.
“I know no matter how badly I want to give up,” she continued, “I have to keep trying. I know I will survive because I have a wonderful group of friends and family by my side all the way who support and care for me.”
The girl’s mother addressed the shackled Estephan directly. The mother and Estephan were dating and living together when the abuse occurred.
“You have taken something that will never be able to be given back,” she said. “You took a child’s innocence away and broke the trust of not only me, but also my children. We are strong and we will overcome anything that life throws at us, even this.”
She added that when she began dating Estephan, she warned him not to touch her daughter. “You did it anyway,” she told him Monday.
In addition to vowing to oppose his every parole hearing, the mother said she hopes he meets a friend in prison who would “do to you what you did to my daughter.”
Estephan gave a barely audible statement of apology and added he hopes his victim can heal.
“What you did was a deliberate, calculated, deceitful, sinister, dishonest series of acts that showed a callous disregard for this young lady whom you supposedly loved,” Judge Gill told him. “The acts you did is what an animal would do for a piece of meat, to give it no thought and just grab it. You treated this child as chattel, a piece of property that you used for own gratification without any regard for her well-being.”
Gill said the damage Estephan caused cannot be undone, but only mitigated by the girl receiving appropriate help and counseling.
“I think that you are a very dangerous man to this community,” Gill continued. “We cannot allow you to be a part of it any longer.”
After the sentence was imposed, the girl and her mother left the courtroom. As they conferred with the prosecution in a side room, the bikers remained on guard outside it.
Read the full case history HERE.
Source: mlive
