Friday 2 February 2018

Larry Nassar: Father lunges at disgraced US doctor


Media captionVictims' father attacks Larry Nassar in courtroom
A father whose three daughters were abused by disgraced US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar has tried to attack him in a Michigan courtroom.
The man, named by US media as Randall Margraves, was restrained by three court security officers.
Before rushing to the table where Nassar was sitting, the man had asked to have "five minutes in a locker room with that demon".
Judge Janice Cunningham said she could not allow that.
Mr Margraves then asked the judge for just one minute, to awkward laughter from the courtroom.
The judge repeated her refusal - and shouts and gasps were heard as the furious father bolted towards Nassar, who was present in an orange prison jumpsuit.
The dramatic intervention brought Nassar's final sentencing hearing to an abrupt halt.
Two of the Margraves daughters, Madison and Lauren, had just testified about their abuse at the hands of the doctor.
"I want that son of a bitch!" Mr Margraves shouted as he was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed.
"What if this happened to you guys?" he demanded of the officers who escorted him from the courtroom.
Court security staff try to shield Larry Nassar after the father of two of his victims lunged at himImage copyrightREUTERS
An angry father had to be restrained in court after lunging at paedophile doctor Larry NassarImage copyrightREUTERS
Image captionMr Margraves was tackled by three guards
The incident came as dozens of women waited for their turn to confront Nassar in court and outline the abuse they suffered at his hands.
In handing down that sentence, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Nassar: "Sir, you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again."
The 54-year-old was already serving 60 years in prison for possession of child sex abuse images.
Olympic gold medal winners Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber were among those the doctor molested.
Other victims were taken to be treated by him at Michigan State University, where he worked between 1997 and 2016.
Larry NassarImage copyrightREUTERS
Image captionThe paedophile tried to claim his accusers "fabricated" allegations for money and fame
Earlier this week, Judge Cunningham said the number of known victims had grown to 265.
The hearing continued after a short break. The judge called the situation "scary", but added that she could not imagine Mr Margraves' pain as a father.
Media captionDozens of women describe abuse by sports doctor Larry Nassar

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