The child sex abuse conviction of a high-ranking U.S. Marine officer was overturned by an appeals court, sparking outrage from advocacy groups calling for Congressional reform of the military justice
U.S. Navy Commander and Senior Judge Angela J. Tang wrote the court's opinion on Monday and said,"In sum, the government presented no physical evidence and no corroborating eyewitnesses who saw or heard signs of abuse" and that the alleged victim's"statements are the only evidence of the appellant's guilt."
Tang wrote that the court could not determine if the alleged victim meant she had sat on Wilson's lap or was"inappropriately touched" six times. The court noted the question was"so poorly worded as to make it impossible to know, with certainty," what the young girl intended to say. "In the regular criminal justice system, appeal courts don't really have the autonomy to say, 'You know what? The jury got this wrong, there is actually doubt of this individual's guilt, so we must overturn it,'" explained Mr. Cherkasky.
While the conviction of the child sex abuse has been overturned, the government has 30 days from July 1 to file a motion asking the appeals court to reconsider Monday's opinion. The government also has 60 days to decide if it wants to petition the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces — the highest appeals court for the U.S.
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