Alaska's 'Papa Pilgrim' gets 14 years for sexually assaulting his children

[Sweetie]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man who called himself "Papa Pilgrim" and took his family far from civilization to raise them according to his interpretation of the Bible was sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a daughter.
A judge imposed the sentence Tuesday after Robert Hale's wife and many of their 15 children delivered statements that included intense stories of physical and mental abuse. Judge Donald Hopwood called it "one of the worst cases of domestic violence I've seen."
Hale and his family came to prominence during a feud with the National Park Service after family members used a bulldozer without permission to clear a road in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Land rights advocates rallied to their cause, and stories featured their plight as a case of big government versus simple folks loving music, fearing God and living off the land.
But that rustic image was a facade, Hale's wife, Kurina Rose Hale, testified during his sentencing hearing. She and many of the couple's children asked Hopwood to send Hale to prison to a long time because they feared what would happen if he were released.
Hopwood sentenced Hale to 10 years in prison for sexual assault and two years each for incest and coercion.
Hale, 66, spent much of Tuesday on the stand, denying charges of sexual and physical abuse leveled against him by family members. Hopwood said he simply didn't believe Hale's denials because so many witnesses testified consistently.
Hale had been indicted on 30 counts of rape, incest, coercion, kidnapping and assault for crimes against one of his daughters, committed between 1998 and 2005.
On the eve of his trial last December, Hale pleaded no contest to the three counts in exchange for a sentence of 14 years. But he later tried to withdraw the plea. He said he had made a mistake because he had been sick in jail, on medications and was not well-represented by his public defender.
Last month, in a hearing to decide on his change of plea, Hale changed his mind again and returned to a no-contest plea.
Hale insisted that he had a perfect spiritual understanding, his wife, Kurina Rose Hale, testified Monday.
"This is how he justified all his immoral activity," she said.
Hale was accused of persuading one child that she was a "special kind of daughter" and that she must have sex with him.
The sexual abuse culminated with an incident in the tiny community of McCarthy, about 275 miles east of Anchorage in Wrangell-St. Elias.
That's where Hale locked his daughter in a shed for three days, sexually assaulted her and beat her so badly her face looked like a black and blue basketball, according to another daughter's testimony.
Another daughter and the abuse victim left the family grounds to notify authorities.
Hale ran from law enforcers for two weeks before he was taken into custody.
Other children testified of prolonged beatings at the hands of the family patriarch, including boys being stretched out over a "beating barrel" and lashed with a three-cord riding crop.
Here's a picture of his family: http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4753/wierdonf1.jpg
Here's a picture of him when he was much younger: http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6953/ibhalehs0.jpg

Alaska's `Papa Pilgrim' gets 14 years - Yahoo! News

[crumpet]

Damn religious extremist nuts. Be suspicious of anybody who wants to isolate their family from the rest of the world, they are always hiding something.

[AliceInWonderland]

wow im shocked the wife went against him so badly and actually testified and everything; when i usually read stories like this - you never hear from the wife - like she doesn't want to be involved in putting her husband to justice.

[xavier_moon]

^^^Yea...she testified against him...but WHAT did she do to stop him or get her kids away from him? Sorry, if you're a mom and your kid is being sexually abused or physically abused, you do something. And, yea, I'm sure the mother was a victim of the physical abuse as well...but still...

[Mr. Authority]

Why only 14 years? Rape is the worst thing someone could do to another person, and to be subjected to it by a family member is just sickening. 14 years is not enough for some fucking pervert molesting his own children.

[crumpet]

And, yea, I'm sure the mother was a victim of the physical abuse as well...but still...
Yeah, I hate it when women's groups try to pacify criticism of moms who allow their kids to get abused by saying they were afraid for their own safety,too. ALL that tells me is that you would rather let your kid get raped than to get your own ass beat and that makes you a sorry excuse for a mother. Any parent worth their spit would walk through fire barefoot before they would let someone harm their kids just to save themselves.

[teforde23]

This is why the Duggars creep me out. The wife is too cheerful and happy about everything.

[MrsDark]

Originally Posted by crumpet

And, yea, I'm sure the mother was a victim of the physical abuse as well...but still...
Yeah, I hate it when women's groups try to pacify criticism of moms who allow their kids to get abused by saying they were afraid for their own safety,too. ALL that tells me is that you would rather let your kid get raped than to get your own ass beat and that makes you a sorry excuse for a mother. Any parent worth their spit would walk through fire barefoot before they would let someone harm their kids just to save themselves.

I agree. Throw that cunt in a cell with him.