Trial of youth center worker accused of subduing child during sexual assault begins Tuesday

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

Asbury is charged with two counts of being an accessory to aggravated sexual assault. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and prosecutors said they do not comment on active cases.

An earlier case against Victor Malavet resulted 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 we filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual or emotional abuse spanning six decades. In the only civil case that has ever gone to trial, jury awards David Meehan $38 million She said in May she suffered the abuse in the 1990s, but that decision remains controversial as the state seeks to rectify that decision Drop to $475,000.

The Meehan civil case provided a preview of the current litigation. Among those who testified were: Asbury accuser Michael GilpatrickThe person stated that Asbury and three other staff members were known as the “assassination squad” by the youth in the dormitory.

“The four of them would roll around together and go to different huts and beat the kids,” he said. “They were literally coming and going door to door, beating every single one of us.”

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.

Gilpatrick, who spent three years in central Manchester in the 1990s, said he came here after running away from multiple group homes, shoplifting and stealing food to survive on the streets.

He said the sexual assault involving Asbury occurred after he ran away while on leave. She testified that she had already spent several days locked in her spare room wearing only her underwear when workers brought her to the house manager’s office and then to the stairwell.

He said the attack led to an out-of-body experience.

“It felt like I was hovering over him and watching him,” Gilpatrick said. “My body is empty.”

Gilpatrick said Asbury was a bad man.

“He had power not only over all the kids, but over the staff as well.”

During a 2000 state investigation into physical abuse and neglect at the youth center, Asbury denied there was a problem.

“Things like this don’t happen. “It’s not tolerated,” Asbury told the Union Leader. “We don’t have time to exploit them.”

The trial reveals the strange dynamic of the state defending itself against civil lawsuits related to the youth center while also pursuing criminal cases.

In the first civil case to go to trial, the state portrayed Asbury as a dedicated employee who won praise for organizing volunteer work for young people. As it stands, the state aims to show Asbury in a much darker light.