Labrie is also asking that a judge suspend the remainder of his one-year jail sentence. The court dismissed arguments by Labrie’s lawyers that prosecutors failed to prove intent in his use of the computer and also that the law was meant to be used to target sexual predators and pedophiles combing the internet, not in cases like this. This is the second time that Labrie has appealed his case to the state Supreme Court.Įarlier this month, the court upheld his convictions on the computer charge. “She was a victim of a crime and the perpetrator continues to follow his self-proclaimed mantra of deny until you die, never acknowledging his bad act or accepting responsibility for his actions.” “Our family continues to support our daughter in her journey of healing and seeking justice” Alex Prout said. But Prout’s father, Alex Prout, said he hoped “justice prevails.” Neither Chessy Prout nor her family attended the hearing. Labrie, who was in court, did not speak to reporters. He said it never occurred to him that it was an issue worth exploring before the trial. Several judges appeared to be sympathetic to that argument, questioning whether this was more a complaint about the trial strategy undertaken by Carney - focused on the credibility of Prout and Labrie’s intentions - than his skills as a lawyer.Īfter the trial, Carney asked a judge unsuccessfully to set aside the guilty verdict on the computer charge. “In so doing, they didn’t provide ineffective counsel, particularly because the defendant was acquitted of the most serious charges he was facing.” “The defense counsel focused their argument on the most serious charges and this mirrored what the state did in its argument,” Locke said. He also argued Labrie’s push for a new trial hinges on his presenting the case as if the computer charge was the most important of all of them - since he was convicted of the charge, which requires him to register as a sex offender. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, as Prout has done.Īssistant Attorney General Sean Locke told the court that Labrie’s trial lawyers did a good job, since their client was found not guilty on the charges of rape that would have carried a prison sentence of 30 years to 60 years. Prout, now 20, has since become an advocate for sexual assault survivors and co-wrote a memoir, “I Have The Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope,” with Boston Globe journalist Jenn Abelson. ![]() Two years ago, Prout spoke publicly about the assault for the first time. The problem was they totally failed to execute that theory.” “These lawyers, as shown in their post-conviction testimony, recognized the mental state was the place where they wanted to stake their defense. “A defense attorney obligation is to have a strategy and execute that strategy reasonably,” Johnson told the court. Carney Jr., is a well-known defense attorney whose clients included the late Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. Learn more at computer law says no one shall knowingly use a computer online service “to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child” to commit sexual assault.Ĭhristopher Johnson, a lawyer for Labrie, argued Wednesday that his trial lawyers were ineffective for a slew of reasons, including failing to mount a defense against the computer charge or effectively communicate that Labrie had no intention of having sex with Chessy Prout when he sent her the messages. Chessy is also a student at Barnard College and continues to use her voice to advocate and let other survivors know they are not alone. ![]() She has traveled around the country and internationally, sharing her story, and encouraging survivors to know and assert their most basic rights. In 2017, Chessy cofounded I Have The Right To Org., a national non-profit in Washington, DC, dedicated to raising awareness of sexual assault in high schools. As a PAVE Ambassador, Chessy worked with K–12 schools to speak about the importance of consent education. ![]() Chessy’s case and eventual trial garnered national and international media attention, as her assault was part of a ritual competition at the school called the “Senior Salute.” Two years later, in Chessy’s pursuit for justice, she decided to step forward publicly in August 2016 and launched the #IHaveTheRightTo initiative with the organization PAVE. There, as a freshman, Chessy was the victim of a sexual assault. Paul’s School-a boarding school in New Hampshire that her father and sister attended. Raised in Japan, Chessy matriculated to St. Chessy Prout is a high school sexual assault survivor.
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