Plaintiff: Jane LM Doe: Defendant: AOGC All Olympia Gymnastics Center Inc., Artur Akopyan, Robert Colarossi, Does, Bela Karolyi, Martha Karolyi, Karolyi Training Camps, LLC, Karolyi World Gymnastics Inc., Karolyi s Elite, Galina Marinova, Michigan State University, Dr. Larry Nassar, Stephen Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics and United States Olympic Committee
In Virginia after a defendant is found guilty of a crime there is a jury sentencing hearing and, of course, argument from both sides as to what the appropriate sentence should be.
As she stood in the small courtroom, photos of her as a smiling child were projected on to a screen. Nassar first abused her when she was six, "when I still had not lost all my baby teeth".
Nassar had already pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault for abusing young girls under the guise of medical treatment. Women who filed criminal complaints against Nassar spoke out at his sentencing hearing in Lansing.
Former Olympic doctor Larry Nassar has been handed a jail sentence of 175 years in Michigan for abusing female athletes he was supposed to be treating. Here, the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan, who was in court, and Roland Hughes detail the extraordinary testimony given in court by the survivors of his abuse.
He was sentenced to 60 years in jail a year later for three counts relating to child sex abuse images on his computer.
"Not just physically but mentally, you have to protect your athletes," he told GymCastic, speaking uncharacteristically slowly. "You have to let them know they will be cared [for].".
The Lansing State Journal newspaper reports that seven women or girls made complaints about Nassar to coaches, trainers, police or university officials between 1997 and 2015. In 2014, an investigation by MSU even cleared Nassar of wrongdoing after a recent graduate accused him of molesting her.
Nassar would position Rachael's mother at the head of the table so she was not able to see what he was doing. With one hand, he would carry out sports massage. With the other, covered by a towel, he would insert his fingers into Rachael's vagina or anus.
But we know, without a doubt after the seven days, what we on this team have known for 16 months: that Nassar’s third hidden persona, just as Strand discusses, that he is possibly the most prolific serial child sexual abuser in history. A selfish child molester who spared no one. Nassar hid behind that outer facade that is different and faked and not real but that people believed were real. People came to his defense. They believed that they were the man that he wanted them to see and not the monster hiding beneath.
Survivors confront Larry Nassar in court. Nassar sentenced these little girls and other little girls to lives in prison by fear and doubt. The courage it takes to overcome so many little obstacles to try and right your world and just live normal daily life, again, is immeasurable.
They cannot shy away from tough cases because of who the offender is or his position in the community. They cannot victim-blame or wait until they have the perfect case. They cannot wait until they have dozens of victims who have come forward.
No coach should be in a shower with a boy. No priest has an excuse for any type of sexual touching. But Nassar perfected a built-in excuse and defense. He was a doctor and a good one. So the world thought. And this makes up the other half of his scheme. The trust he could garner from being not only a doctor, a respected professional but an Olympic doctor, one who treated these young girls, these young victims’ heroes. He adorned his office with pictures of Olympians he treated, with the far-off places his supposed expertise took him. He brought back tokens for his precious victims, regalia from competitions around the world. In doing so, he made each of his victims feel special. As Kassie Powell said, the defendant hid behind Olympic rings and Spartan green and white.