Amish brothers who raped sister and got her pregnant spared jail

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Amish brothers who raped sister and got her pregnant spared jail

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https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real- ... db8e2a504a


Amish brothers who raped sister and got her pregnant spared jail
4-5 minutes

Two Amish brothers who raped their 12-year-old sister, getting her pregnant, have avoided jail because they “would have been eaten alive” in prison.

Aaron Schwartz, 22, and Petie Schwartz, 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree child molestation with a child under the age of 14, according to the Webster County Citizen.

The abuse occurred on six occasions in 2019 and 2020 at the family home in Missouri, US, while their sister was 12 and 13. Two other brothers also took part in the abuse, but as they were minors, they didn’t face charges.

As a result of the abuse, their sister became pregnant, giving birth two weeks ago.

Despite admitting to the crime, Aaron and Petie Schwartz negotiated a plea deal that included 10-year suspended prison terms, with five years of probation.

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“These two young men would’ve been eaten alive in the state prison system,” Webster County prosecutor Ben Berkstresser said, according to a report in The Sun.

Mr Berkstresser said he has previously been “very harsh on the Amish” with crime charges of the same nature.

But “in this instance, these two boys are very immature relative to their respective ages. Maturitywise, they are much younger than their age”.

The two other brothers who also sexually abused the sister did not face charges because of their age.

“There were four brothers, two of them minors, while the other two legally are adults,” Berkstresser said.

“All of them had sexual relations with their sister. There is no question this occurred.”

The brothers’ actions were only uncovered when the girl saw a doctor about the pregnancy, and the doctor informed police.

The girl then told officers she was sexually abused by her four brothers.

“One of the brothers is the father of this child,” Berkstresser said.

“But within the Amish community that primarily lives in the Seymour area, (the Amish) don’t see the authority we have to do anything to them.

“This was a tough case to prosecute.”

It is not known which of her brothers is the father of the baby.

The Amish are traditionalist Christian and are known to shun technology such as cars and electricity.

Sexual abuse within Amish communities is a known problem with several high-profile abuse cases emerging in recent years.

Self-styled religious seer Lee Donald Kaplan was convicted in 2017 of sexually assaulting six girls, all from the same family, within an Amish community in Pennsylvania.

During the court case, Deputy District Attorney Kate Kohler told the jury: “In that world, child rape is the norm.”

Saloma Furlong, a woman who escaped her Amish lifestyle and documented her experience with sexual abuse in the book Why I Left The Amish, has also written about how common sex crime against women and children is in the religious community.

“Amish men are dominant in the culture and girls are taught they should be submissive to the men (and boys) from the time they can understand the concept,” she wrote in a blog in 2010.

“Most Amish do not educate their children about sex, so girls can easily fall prey to sexual abuse.

“They often have no reference to know what is happening to them, even as the abuse takes place.”

The Schwartz brothers were issued $250 fines and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, The Sun reports.

They will also have to write letters on how they will protect their children from inflicting such abuse.

Their Amish community stated that they gave the Schwartz brothers “very severe” punishments, Berkstresser said, but he did not provide the details.

The older Schwartz brothers also have to complete Missouri’s sex offender treatment program within a year.

They have been placed on the state’s sex offenders’ register for life.

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732

Don't go it alone. Please reach out for help by contacting Lifeline on 13 11 14

Men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, should contact the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491

Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au
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