PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A jury will start deliberations on Friday to decide whether or not a former Philadelphia police officer is guilty of sexually abusing a teenage girl hundreds of times over a period of about four years.
Prosecutors called four witnesses over the course of the week, including the woman, now in her 30s, who accused former officer Charles Young of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager between 2004 and 2008.
She testified that Young, who was on the force for two decades, had sex with her hundreds of times — up to three times a week — when she was a teenager, in his personal vehicle, in a police van and in her bedroom at her North Philadelphia home. She said he took her virginity in his gold Cadillac, and gaslighted her into thinking they were in a relationship.
Three other witnesses testified, including Young’s former partner and an internal affairs detective.
The defense argued that the allegations are false and completely fabricated, painting the witness as a “mentally challenged” woman who had a rough childhood.
Young’s attorney said there was a lack of evidence — such as school attendance records, and bank records to support claims that Young periodically gave her $50 and $60 to ensure that she ate.
But prosecutors told the jury that the accuser's recollection of small, gruesome details, like the number of the police van that Young drove and allegedly bent her over in and how he “finished” supports that she’s a scared victim, reliving abuse from 16 years ago.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations Friday. If convicted, Young could spend decades in prison.
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