Providence, RI (AP)-A jury found a former Rhode Basketball coach Island High School not guilty of sexual assault in the second degree and sexual assault in the second degree after having spent decades asking hundreds of male students if they were “Shy or not shy” before asking them to be naked so that he can check their body fat.
Instead, the 12 jurors recognized Aaron Thomas guilty of a lesser offense battery, in their verdict, returned on Monday. In the last days of the trial, lawyers agreed that the jury could consider to condemn Thomas of battery offense rather than the more severe accusations taken against the coach.
Throughout the trial of almost six weeks, the defense lawyers for Thomas argued that the so-called bare fat tests carried out by the coach formerly loved at the North Kingstown high school were wrong but not a crime. The defense said that Thomas had not touched boy’s athletes for sexual gratuity or excitement, a key requirement under the accusations he was confronted with.
“We would like to thank the jury for their attention, their hard work and for their verdict. We are very convinced that the jury saw the case as we have seen, no sexual intention,” defense lawyer John Macdonald told journalists outside the court.
The prosecutors maintained Thomas created and implemented a program which allowed him to have unhindered access to young naked boys for decades.
“Above all, this case concerns the victims who suffered a lot in camera,” said Attorney General Peter Neronha in a statement. “And despite what the accused and his defense would make you believe, pseudo-science is not an excuse for mistreatment, nor gain more important than well-being. We think that what happened here was not only bad judgment, it was, and has always been, criminal conduct.”
Neronha added that the limitation period on the second degree in the second degree in the Rhode Island is three years, a limit which he pushed to increase to 10 years and would have allowed him to bear more accusations.
Under the Rhode Island law, a battery of crimes includes a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a possible fine up to $ 1,000. The conviction for Thomas will take place on June 26.
Although Thomas did the tests on several students in many years, the accusations concerned only two former students, including one who was under 14 at the time, in September 2000 and February 2002.
Thomas’ lawyers argued that the testimony of these former students was not reliable – highlighting one of the boy’s mental health struggles – and stressed that they really wanted a monetary payment by virtue of a separate civil trial.
During his testimony, Thomas told the jury that he had probably seen more than 600 students throughout his career, with “around 80%” of them removing their underwear during the test. The tests involved Thomas pinch various areas of their body, including near the groin and buttocks. The tests were carried out behind closed doors, first in a small room in the form of a closet, then finally in the office of Thomas.
Thomas acknowledged that on the stand, the withdrawal of underwear was not necessary, while experts in the composition of body fats said that the pinch near the groin was not supported by science as a means of determining body fat.
More than a dozen students testified throughout the trial, as well as law enforcement agents, body composition experts and former school officials.
