Prosecutors say Mark Benson, 69, a former pastor, gave a young girl medicine to make her sleep, then sexually assaulted her several times between 2009 and 2012, starting when she was just 10 years old. The victim told her story to the police in October 2022. Benson is not a drag queen or part of the LGBTQ community.
KCCI reports:
A good friend of the victim read her victim impact statement.
"Now I watch people. And I keep them at a distance. I built walls up so high you can't knock them down. I see the bad in people before I see the good. And you did that to me. You created this world in which I live in where everyone is a liar and a monster before they're anything else," the victim impact statement read.
The statement goes on to ask the judge to see through Benson's claim of Christianity.
"God didn't change this man, your honor. The truth coming out changed this man. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing," the victim impact statement read.
Benson addressed the victim and her family, apologizing and asking for forgiveness. Many in court Monday shook their heads no.
Second District Judge Bethany Currie sentenced Benson to an indeterminate period of time behind bars but no more than the maximum of 10 years. He was given a five-year no-contact order. He must also pay a fine, submit a DNA sample for profiling, and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Ten years isn't enough time for what he did to that child.
