Church Forced Girl to Apologize for Being Raped

[Shambola]

Church Forced Girl to Apologize for Being Raped - Girl forced to apologize before being sent away


(NEWSER) – When a 15-year-old girl was raped and impregnated in 1997, her New Hampshire church took justice into its own hands…by sending her to Colorado, thereby protecting her alleged rapist. Ernest Willis, 51, was finally arrested last month after the victim, now 28, read about similar cases and decided to come forward. After raping her twice, Willis offered to pay for an abortion—or punch her in the stomach to cause a miscarriage—when she became pregnant, the Concord Monitor reports.

When she declined and told the church what happened, pastor Chuck Phelps forced her “to confess my 1% guilt in the situation” by apologizing in front of the entire congregation, then shipped her out of state, she told police. Phelps notified authorities of the situation in 1997, but police couldn't locate her. “Without a victim, it makes it very difficult to have a case,” says a police officer.