Josh Duggar‘s federal court trial on two child pornography charges has taken a turn for the worse for the former reality TV star. Duggar’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, has been accused of lying by the judge overseeing the trial as it progresses past its opening.
Duggar’s defense attorney Justin Gelfand & prosecutors gave their preliminary arguments before the trial starts on Monday. The hearing revolved around claims of Josh molesting four girls when he was 12-years old, and whether it’s related to the charges or not.
Josh is accused of possessing and distributing images of child pornography. Josh has claimed multiple times of molesting the girls back in the 2000s. A family relative even testified to this. However, Josh’s father took the stand but said that he was unable to recall any such details. (simpleeverydaymom)
Federal court judge Timothy L. Brooks wasn’t having it, however. The judge ruled in the favor of considering the 20-year old instances relevant. According to documents obtained by People’s magazine, the judge said:
The Court finds, based on the Government’s proffer of evidence at the hearing, that the prior acts of child molestation allegedly committed by Defendant in 2002 and 2003 against four child victims are clear and compelling. The child pornography victims, in this case, are approximately the same ages as the victims of Defendant’s hands-on child-molestation offenses. Accordingly, the prior act evidence is probative of Defendant’s sexual interest in underage children and his propensity for exploiting young girls. The Court found Mr. Duggar [Jim Bob]’s selective lapse in memory to be not credible; he was obviously reluctant to testify against his son.
The court’s decision makes the trial even more difficult on Josh, as the past instances of molestation will be used to shape the character of his actions. The trial will stand on Monday, which will give a more fleshed out picture of where Josh really stands.
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