A 32 year old mother, April Corcoran, who trafficked her 11 year old
daughter for heroin said told the judge who handled her case that she
was ashamed about what she did to her daughter, but the judge pointed
out that she never offered any apology to the child.
Judge Leslie Ghiz said:”I can honestly say that, in three-and-a-half
years on the bench, this is by far the worst thing that has come before
this court,” Ghiz said. “I don’t know that you grasp the damage that has
been done to this poor child,” Ghiz said, noting that the girl is
undergoing medical care, has had suicidal thoughts and is taking
medications.
“You showed no kind of mercy”.
So Ghiz in turn decided not to show any mercy to the mother and sent her
to 51 years to life during her sentencing Tuesday in Hamilton County
Common Pleas Court.
Corcoran pleaded guilty in June to multiple counts of complicity to
rape, human trafficking and child endangering involving her child.
Corcoran also admitted giving the girl heroin sometimes as a reward but the child vomited each time.
Ghiz allowed Corcoran to read a statement in court. The statement read:
“I made selfish, horrible choices that will affect (the girl) for the
rest of her life”. “I am consumed by guilt and shame every day.”
That didn’t move the judge.
The little girl was sodomized, raped, forced to perform oral sex and
frequently videotaped by Corcoran’s drug dealer, 42 year old Shandell
Willingham, in his Camp Washington home, prosecutors say.
The rapes, sodomy and other horrible incidents happened between February and June 2014.
The girl’s grandparents told the judge they hoped for justice for their
granddaughter and that others would be protected from Corcoran. The
girl’s grandmother spoke quietly in court.
“I saw my granddaughter. I heard her small voice,” Sylvia Corcoran said.
“It was horrific. How could she (Corcoran) do this? I don’t know if my
granddaughter is going to be able to have a normal life.”
The girl, now, 13, is living out of state with her father and stepmother.
Corcoran’s lawyer, James Bogen, said his client has been “sickened and disgusted” by what she’s done since she’s been in jail.
Shandell Willingham faces the same charges as Corcoran, has been
convicted in Indiana on unrelated drug charges as well as on child
pornography charges.A hearing in his case is set for Aug. 10.
Source: AP