Victim's Stepfather Defends Rowan Towers Accused

By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times

The stepfather of the 7-year-old girl police say was gang-raped at a party in the Rowan Towers apartment complex on March 28 has come forward to defend three of the accused police say are responsible for the gang-rape.

The stepfather, who is the biological father of the 17-year-old, said,” these three had nothing to do with nothing; I don't know why they locked them up," the stepfather said referring to Gregory Leary, 20; Timear Lewis, 19; and a 17-year-old whose name has not been released due to his age.

"My daughter said these guys were trying to help her," the stepfather told the Associated Press.

The girl's stepfather said he still believes his 7-year-old stepdaughter was raped by "a lot" of men; just not the three he said helped her.

"If you had a gun pointed to your head, you wouldn't be able to do nothing, either," he said.

Leary, who has been charged with aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, denies raping the 7-year-old. At his first court appearance his attorney, Robin Lord argued the victim was “pressured to make up the story.”

"She was not raped, was not gang-raped," Lord told the court. "I'm 100 percent certain that the 7-year-old was not sexually assaulted. The allegations will not be substantiated by any forensic evidence."

Lord said the girl's memory is "forever tainted" because she been given toys, gifts and money.

Leary has allegedly admitted to having sex with the older sister, and has been charged with statutory rape as a result. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Downing says while Leary has denied raping the little girl, “several witnesses” at the party have said they saw the 20-year-old "on top of the 7-year-old," raping her.

The victim was administered a rape kit while at a local hospital, and police say there is DNA evidence to support the crime.

Several family members of the suspects were present outside the courtroom Thursday and defended the accused young men. Leary's mother, Robin David, was one. As she left the courtroom in tears, she said her didn’t rape anyone.

"I feel terrible about my child and anyone else's who is involved in this," she said.

Police say the two sisters were at a house party in the Rowan Towers where the older sister began charging men and boys money to have sex with her. At some point she accepted money from several individuals to touch her little sister. The touching escalated to rape, which police say the older sister watched.

The men threatened the victim with death if she screamed or told anyone. After the rape, the girl dressed herself and left the apartment. Two women found her outside crying and took her home.

As they arrived, police were there because the girls' parents had just reported both as runaways.

Lewis will make his first court appearance Friday.