The upcoming trial of a Canadian man accused of repeatedly sexually abusing two girls throughout their childhood beginning in 2001 can include limited testimony on false memory.
“This is a very serious case that involves very complicated issues,” said Dominic Buttitta, defense attorney for Robert J. Gould, 56, who was on McHenry County’s most wanted list when arrested in 2017.
At the time of his arrest, Gould was living in Higginsville, Nova Scotia, where he was detained by Canadian authorities on Sept. 1, 2017.
“Regardless of the outcome after trial, I believe this case will ultimately have an impact on both defending and prosecuting sex crimes in Illinois,” Buttitta told the Northwest Herald.
Gould was taken to McHenry County Jail following his 2017 arrest and held on $500,000 bond. He has since posted bond and has been wearing an ankle monitor while staying at the home of family in McHenry County, his lawyer said.
Gould is charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child under the age of 13, a Class 2 felony; eight counts of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony; and 10 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony, according to the criminal indictment filed in McHenry County courthouse.
Class X felonies typically carry sentences of six to 30 years and are not probational. If convicted on all charges, Gould faces life in prison.
Last week, McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge granted a motion filed by prosecutors...
A front-page article with the byline of veteran New York Times opinion writer Nicholas Kristof is the latest poisonous example of what I call the NGO “halo effect.” Headlined “The Silence That Mee...