Orthodox man charged with serious sexual offences against his daughter, a girl who spent several years at school in Manchester.
October 17, 2008 11:09A member of New York's Orthodox community has been charged with serious sexual offences against his daughter, a girl who spent several years at school in Manchester.
Federal prosecutors have also moved to keep the man in custody until his trial because they feared he would attempt to interfere with witnesses and flee the country.
The man and his family lived for a time in Britain's strictly Orthodox community and in other countries.
He was formally indicted on a total of five charges of transporting a minor to engage in or for the purpose of sexual activity.
The girl concerned is now in her late twenties. The father faces up to 10 years' imprisonment on each count if convicted.
The indictment states that the man allegedly started abusing the girl when she was aged nine. He allegedly engineered trips between America and other countries, including Israel, in order that he could be alone with her.
He is claimed to have abused her, said the indictment, "on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis".
Prosecutors said the girl had been brought to Manchester in the 1990s and enrolled in a school.
But her father insisted that she went abroad with him for Pesach.
The indictment stated: "While the victim was attending school in England, the defendant insisted that she return home for the holidays and, when she refused, he attempted to kidnap her from a family that tried to protect her.
"During the attempted kidnapping, the defendant forced his way into the home of a rabbi and physically assaulted him and his wife."
Greater Manchester Police have no record of any such assault. The prosecutors allege that every time his alleged abuse was threatened with exposure by members of his community, he moved home.
When the girl finally confronted him, he allegedly told her he would avoid prosecution by moving to Brazil or Casablanca.
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