Kyle Stephens said she had her first sexual experience when she was 6 years old.
Larry Nassar, a family friend, exposed himself to her in a dark boiler room. From then until she was 12 years old, he would pleasure himself in front of her, rub his penis on her bare feet and put his finger in her vagina.At 12, she told her parents about the abuse, but they didn’t believe her. The abuse – and their denial – left her feeling brainwashed, caused a split in her family relationship and led to crippling anxiety, she said.But on Tuesday, Stephens defiantly stared down Nassar in a Michigan courtroom to inform him that the abuse was over, and his time as a free man was up.
“Little girls don’t stay little forever,” Stephens said. “They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world.”
Stephens was the first victim to speak in what is expected to be days of victim impact testimony as part of Nassar’s criminal sentencing.Given the remarkable scope of the years of abuse, several days of court have been set aside for victims or their parents to speak out about Nassar – and the systems of power that protected him. Prosecutors in court said that 98 victim statements are expected in all, though that number could change.Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor for about two decades, pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct in Ingham County in Michigan. As part of his plea deal, he admitted that he used his position as a trusted medical professional to sexually abuse young girls.He also pleaded guilty to three other criminal counts in Eaton County. And he has already been sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography charges.
Victims confront Larry Nassar in court: ‘Little girls don’t stay little forever’
Beltainefaerie's Flights of Fancy 