Custodian falsely accused of child rape sues city for $10 million

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/09/16/2007-09-16_custodian_falsely_accused_of_child_rape_.html

Francis Evelyn had a steady job cleaning the hallways of a Brooklyn public school for almost twenty years and looked forward to his retirement. But, one false accusation had torn his life apart forever. An 8-year-old girl claimed that he had repeatedly molested her in the basement bathroom of the school. Evelyn’s face was posted all over the media about 5 months ago, and today he cannot stop the pain, embarrassment, and tears that this fabrication has caused him. Evelyn claims that he can no longer go in public without being ridiculed. He said, “Before, I walked the street happy-go-lucky. Now, you see the eyes. People you don't know approach you. You don't know what they're coming with. It could be bad. I'm scared like hell of being out there!" After this public display of humiliation, the police found the child’s claims to be false. She initially identified Evelyn as being bald and white, when in fact, he is black. She had also wrongly accused her father of sexual assault and had no traces of physical abuse.
Evelyn was questioned by the police for an extended period of time. The police force lied about faulty DNA tests to push Evelyn into admitting to the offense. They even bribed him with the option of a shortened prison term if he confessed to being guilty. In prison, Evelyn was searched and left to wear only a “Pampers” diaper. Inmates yelled to him, "Hey, Pops! You raped my sister! I'm going to cut your throat! Don't let me catch you in the shower! We gonna shank you!"
Evelyn is suing the city for $10 million for the damages and humiliation now connected with his name. He wishes to one day live a normal life again without the constant reminder of the embarrassment he was caused by an eight year old with a history of lying.
The issue addressed in this article is one that may be particularly hard to write about. Child molestation is a very serious topic that must be discussed in a careful manner. It is important to protect the privacy of the child, but in this case we have a different story. We must share Francis Evelyn’s pain. To see how brutally this man was ridiculed and how he was forced to parade around in prison in a diaper, is absolutely heartbreaking. For the remainder of his life he will never be able to completely free himself of this incident.
The writer of the article “Custodian falsely accused of child rape sues city for $10 million” does a fair job of properly portraying this controversial issue. She lets us into the painful world of Evelyn, but without having bias. She simply states the facts surrounding the situation and is able to express his feeling through his quotes. This article touches on a subject that makes many people uncomfortable, but it must be discussed and without a one-sided view.