Case Study

Acclaim Handles Sensitive
Alleged Child Assault Case

It was one of those cases you read about and your heart breaks. A 14-year-old girl had accused her father of sexual assault. The result: her father was charged with 21 counts of Sexual Assault and Aggravated Incest. The girl had been sent to Colorado to live with her father when her mother discovered she was visiting porn sites on the internet and demonstrating behavioral issues. After living with her father for a year, the girl claimed he had engaged in over 50 sexual encounters with her.

Acclaim was called in by the defense attorney to establish the veracity of the sexual assault claim. Sexual assault cases are charged with emotion and present treacherous terrain for investigators and attorneys alike. Acclaim has worked on many assault claims and our personnel are uniquely trained to handle these sensitive situations.

We dispatched our team to investigate the claim, interviewing the alleged victim’s friends, family members and others close to the family. During these interviews, we learned that the child had told friends she didn’t like her father because he had too many rules. Friends also told investigators that the girl was engaging in sexual activity with boys. Friends claimed the girl had difficulty telling the truth.

Despite the reports from friends, the prosecution held a particularly damning piece of evidence: the father had a phrase that he would utter in the heat of passion, and the daughter had shared that phrase with police to substantiate her assault claim.

In a particularly sensitive interview with the father’s wife, Acclaim investigators discovered the girl had listened in on private arguments and discussions between the defendant and his wife on several previous occasions. Acclaim Investigations made the link between this previous behavior and the possibility that the alleged victim had been able to eavesdrop on sexual relations between the defendant and his wife. The family shared a small house — and her stepmother had reported finding her hiding behind a door during one spousal discussion.

Acclaim’s investigations introduced the possibility of doubt surrounding the daughter’s claims, and the case was subsequently dismissed. The detail, diligence, pursuit of accuracy and sensitivity that Acclaim brought to the investigation was credited for exonerating the man.

Case Study

Acclaim Handles Sensitive Alleged Child Assault Case

Acclaim Handles Sensitive
Alleged Child Assault Case