The case of the youth center worker accused of holding the raped child in his arms became harsher

MANCHESTER, NH — The cross-examination of a man who said he was raped as a teenager by staff at a New Hampshire youth center took a harsh turn Wednesday; The accuser at one point called opposing counsel a “sick man” after a heated argument.

It was the second day of the trial of Bradley Asbury, accused of holding 14-year-old Michael Gilpatrick to a staircase with the help of a colleague in 1997; Meanwhile, a third staff member raped the teenager and a fourth forced her to perform. a sex act.

This is the second criminal case arising from a wide-ranging 2019 investigation into historic abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Asbury, now 70, is among 11 men arrested who worked there or at a related facility in Concord.

Gilpatrick, now 41, took the stand for a second day and was questioned by defense attorney David Rothstein. Rothstein noted inconsistencies in his memories of the events leading up to the alleged assault. Months in advance, he learned what time of day the incident took place and whether there were other children around.

Gilpatrick said his memories of before and after the attack were blurry.

“What I won’t forget, do you want me to keep telling you?” Gilpatrick said in one of several heated exchanges with the lawyer. “Your client holding me down while another man raped me.”

“Say it again in case they don’t hear it,” the lawyer replied. “Say it again.”

“He pinned me down and raped me,” Gilpatrick said loudly as she leaned into the microphone.

“Say it again,” the lawyer replied.

“You want me to keep saying that? You’re a sick man,” Gilpatrick said before asking the judge for a recess and storming off the bench.

Rothstein said the attack never happened and that Gilpatrick’s motive was money. He noted that Gilpatrick received more than $146,000 in exchange for an expected settlement from a related civil lawsuit.

“You’re trying to prove that this is about money and has nothing to do with money,” Gilpatrick testified.

Prosecutor Audriana Mekula said the rape occurred after Gilpatrick made a clever comment to Asbury and his colleagues, where she was knocked to the ground from behind, grabbed by her arms and legs, and dragged up a staircase in the juvenile prison.

Asbury was fired from the Concord facility three years ago amid allegations of physical and psychological abuse. However, he was later rehired and transferred to Manchester, where he worked until 2001.

He is charged with being an accessory to aggravated sexual assault. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count. The hearing is expected to be completed on Thursday or Friday.

An earlier case against Victor Malavet ended in a mistrial in September after jurors deadlocked on whether he raped a girl at the Concord facility. A new hearing in this case has not yet been scheduled.

The investigation also led to extensive civil litigation. More than 1,100 former residents filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual or emotional abuse spanning six decades. In the only civil case heard so far, a jury in May awarded David Meehan $38 million in damages for harassment he said he suffered in the 1990s; however, this decision is still controversial as the state is trying to reduce this amount to $475,000.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Meehan and Gilpatrick did.