7th Heaven star Stephen Collins on tape admitting molestation of girls

[Nova]

As I said on the other thread, Grisham's friend was given 3 years in jail for downloading pictures of 16-year-olds in a country were 16 IS THE AGE OF CONSENT! Grisham is right: that is criminal justice run amok.

Perhaps the moral here is that none of us need to judge how another child reacts to inappropriate behavior. When I was 13 and using a stall at the bathroom in the public library, an elderly (at least he seemed elderly to me at 13) man crawled under the stall barrier and began "making love" to my bare leg and foot. (Being a polite Southern boy, my first response was to say, "May I help you?" But I guess my shock came through in my town of voice and the man crawled back into his own stall.)

Was I traumatized? Not particularly. But some other 13-year-old might have been devastated, might has assumed the incident was some sort of proof he was gay, etc. and so forth. Not for me to judge.

I'm not minimizing how devastating anyone's experience here was. But by the same token, I don't think anyone need be "offended" because somebody else isn't bothered by the same experience.

And as far as Collins is concerned, if the statute of limitations hasn't tolled, then he should be prosecuted. But I don't see why reporting should be mandatory for a molestation that occurred 30-40 years ago.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

This is a triggery subject. I think there are lots of honest opinions being expressed, some differ. That's fine, that's the beauty of a site where differing POVS are all considered relevant.

I agree, it is a triggery subject. I've somewhat calmed down now lol, I couldn't see straight, feelings are easily hurt and probably even more so when it comes to abuse. I've unsubscribed to this thread and my interest has been in other cases anyway so will forget about this one.
Of course, if SC comes up in the news again, I will be interested what comes of it. As with Woody Allen, there was a media frenzy and then it blew over and I'm expecting the same with SC, unless his victims come forward and make a statement.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

As I said on the other thread, Grisham's friend was given 3 years in jail for downloading pictures of 16-year-olds in a country were 16 IS THE AGE OF CONSENT! Grisham is right: that is criminal justice run amok.

Perhaps the moral here is that none of us need to judge how another child reacts to inappropriate behavior. When I was 13 and using a stall at the bathroom in the public library, an elderly (at least he seemed elderly to me at 13) man crawled under the stall barrier and began "making love" to my bare leg and foot. (Being a polite Southern boy, my first response was to say, "May I help you?" But I guess my shock came through in my town of voice and the man crawled back into his own stall.)

Was I traumatized? Not particularly. But some other 13-year-old might have been devastated, might has assumed the incident was some sort of proof he was gay, etc. and so forth. Not for me to judge.

I'm not minimizing how devastating anyone's experience here was. But by the same token, I don't think anyone need be "offended" because somebody else isn't bothered by the same experience.

And as far as Collins is concerned, if the statute of limitations hasn't tolled, then he should be prosecuted. But I don't see why reporting should be mandatory for a molestation that occurred 30-40 years ago.

Who said they're offended because someone is not bothered by being a victim of abuse?

Also, would be great if you could provide some figures/stats, I'm currently searching, no such luck.

 

[neverletgo]

Another article . . . snipped:

On Oct. 9, days after the Collins's audio recording made headlines, a person contacted the authorities, saying that in the summer of 1983, when she was 13, Collins exposed himself and annoyed or molested her at a home in West Hollywood.

The LASD is now working with New York Police Department, which confirmed to The Insider With Yahoo on Oct. 7 that they were investigating allegations that Collins molested a family acquaintance in Manhattan in the early 1970s.

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/y...ated-for-new-molestation-claim-124001441.html

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

"Stephen Collins -- a self-proclaimed child molester -- will NOT be prosecuted for either molesting or exposing himself to the 3 victims ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ."

"Grant has alleged Collins molested a child while he was shooting "7th Heaven" -- sometime between 1996 and 2007 -- but we're told no such victim has come forward."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/18/steph...olester-statute-of-limitations/#ixzz3GUcgUvtE

 

[tlcya]

I am not surprised. The instances where the victims have come forward the statutes have likely run and if there aren't any complainants for more recent instances alleged then no prosecution can take place. It seemed a long shot from the day the news broke that any legal repercussion would follow. Career yes, life yes, legal shrug. we all pay for our crimes in the end. JMO

 

[Nova]

There must be a huge misunderstanding about the first reply I posted in this thread. I wasn't offended by the poster being okay with what happened to them, I'm the last one to criticize anyone's state of mind. I took exception when blanket statements are made about something a person cannot know, like 'most' children recover from [blank] 'quite easily'.
Also, stating your own sexual abuse is worse than another persons, that's a tall claim to make and personally, I think quite unnecessary. And grading a child's exposure to abuse which takes many forms. Of course, the law takes this into consideration, like if there is penetration etc. BUT that is the law, not a child's response to the traumatic event/s. Two entirely different things.

Thanks for your link. The stats and figures I asked about was to do with John Grisham's claim, which has now been debunked, so not matter.

Yes, there must have been a misunderstanding, because I've already said all of the above.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Molestation Victim Will Not Sue

http://www.tmz.com/2014/10/21/steph...exposure-minors-victim-no-lawsuit-faye-grant/

 

[Spurser]

Reading all this stuff about SC exposing himself is making me question an incident that occurred when I was about 7 years old. I never considered it abuse, but now I'm wondering. I was sleeping over at a friends house and we were all in her room (my friend, her parents and siblings, and me). I don't recall what were doing. Maybe the parents were reading us a story or something. But I remember looking down and seeing the dad's entire penis sticking out of the fly of his pajama pants. I immediately looked away. I had always assumed that it was accidental on his part and he didn't know that it was out like that. I just felt embarrassed for having seen it. Now I'm starting to wonder if he did this on purpose. I mean can a man tell if his junk is just sitting out there in the open air, or could this truly have been a case of him exposing himself to us?

 

[chlban]

I am not surprised. The instances where the victims have come forward the statutes have likely run and if there aren't any complainants for more recent instances alleged then no prosecution can take place. It seemed a long shot from the day the news broke that any legal repercussion would follow. Career yes, life yes, legal shrug. we all pay for our crimes in the end. JMO

Yes, very true. Granted his career hasn't exactly been exploding since the demise of the show, but he appears to have been working fairly steadily. That is clearly over.

I never watched the show, but I remember him from a number of movies, mostly viewed on Lifetime, including one where he played JFK. I also remember the one where he seduced the babysitter. Takes on a whole new level of creepiness now.

Call my a cyncial TV viewer but I wonder how long it will be before Lifetime drags that treasure out of it's vault and runs it again.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Audio hangs over '7th Heaven' actor's divorce case

ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP
3 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When audio of former "7th Heaven" star Stephen Collins purportedly confessing to molesting underage girls appeared on the website TMZ last month, it did more than just damage the veteran actor's career.

The recording, made during a therapy session and given to police by the actor's estranged wife, led to re-runs of "7th Heaven" disappearing from cable TV and Collins swiftly losing acting roles. Three law enforcement agencies confirmed investigations into allegations that Collins molested underage girls several decades ago, although no charges have been filed.

The audio, which has not been authenticated by The Associated Press, will likely never be played in a court of law. It will, however, linger over the actor's upcoming divorce trial, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. The audio's impact will be a major issue in how Collins and his estranged wife, Faye Grant, divide up assets they accumulated during more than 25 years of marriage...

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/entertainment/20141108/US-Stephen-Collins-Divorce/

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Yes, very true. Granted his career hasn't exactly been exploding since the demise of the show, but he appears to have been working fairly steadily. That is clearly over.

I never watched the show, but I remember him from a number of movies, mostly viewed on Lifetime, including one where he played JFK. I also remember the one where he seduced the babysitter. Takes on a whole new level of creepiness now.

Call my a cyncial TV viewer but I wonder how long it will be before Lifetime drags that treasure out of it's vault and runs it again.

"The Babysitter's Seduction" is actually featured several times annually on Lifetime or LMN. Stephen Collins also co-stars as attorney Dan Broderick in the Betty Broderick saga with Meredith Baxter in the title role. The original movie and sequel are usually shown back-to-back a couple of times a year.

 

[Nova]

...Ive been reading Nova's posts for a long, long time and I don't think you'd ever catch him downplaying the abuse of a child. I disagree with him on the issue of abuse allegations that surface in therapy being disclosed but I'm very certain he would never suggest that abuse suffered by a child is no big deal.

I was rereading old posts and realized mine were misleading. You and I don't actually disagree on the subject of mandatory reporting; I think protecting the child, as such laws are written, is more important than whatever value therapy might have for the pedophile.

I do think there has to be some sort of statute of limitations on mandatory reporting: if a victim has grown into middle-age withOUT reporting the abuse, then I think that's his or her business. I don't believe a therapist should be mandated to report abuse from 30 years ago.

 

[Elley Mae]

What about the people that have repressed memories? Mine did not surface for 37+ years. I choose to keep it to myself for my fathers benefit, it would have killed him to think that something happened to me like that and by who did it. But I don't think time limits need or should be imposed on child sex abuse. No one should ever think they are safe from prosecution from sex abuse, no matter how long has passed, hopefully they are looking over their should everyday for the rest of their lives. jmo idk

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Celeb Lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan Busted for DUI


"The lawyer repping child molester Stephen Collins in his divorce is going to be jumping from courtroom to courtroom, because TMZ has learned he was busted for DUI Friday night."

"Kaplan flunked the field sobriety test and was taken to the West Hollywood Sheriff's substation and booked on DUI."

"Kaplan was cited at the station and released."


Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/22/mark-...tephen-collins-kevin-federline/#ixzz3Jq9oAilq

 

[Nova]

What about the people that have repressed memories? Mine did not surface for 37+ years. I choose to keep it to myself for my fathers benefit, it would have killed him to think that something happened to me like that and by who did it. But I don't think time limits need or should be imposed on child sex abuse. No one should ever think they are safe from prosecution from sex abuse, no matter how long has passed, hopefully they are looking over their should everyday for the rest of their lives. jmo idk

Again, I was only talking about mandatory reporting. I assume you are in your early 40s. If you discuss your recovered memories with a therapist, say, why should that therapist be required to report it? You are now old enough to make the decision to report or not yourself.

As for prosecution based on recovered memories, that's another matter entirely. It's controversial, as you know, but I readily admit I'm not qualified to offer an opinion. Whatever happened to you in the past, my heart goes out to you and I applaud your courage in mentioning it here.

 

[Nova]

Reading all this stuff about SC exposing himself is making me question an incident that occurred when I was about 7 years old. I never considered it abuse, but now I'm wondering. I was sleeping over at a friends house and we were all in her room (my friend, her parents and siblings, and me). I don't recall what were doing. Maybe the parents were reading us a story or something. But I remember looking down and seeing the dad's entire penis sticking out of the fly of his pajama pants. I immediately looked away. I had always assumed that it was accidental on his part and he didn't know that it was out like that. I just felt embarrassed for having seen it. Now I'm starting to wonder if he did this on purpose. I mean can a man tell if his junk is just sitting out there in the open air, or could this truly have been a case of him exposing himself to us?

Yes, it's possible it was an accident. It's easy to lose track of such things when one is wearing loose clothing. Back when shorter shorts were in style, I often had to remind my husband that his balls were hanging out. He didn't feel the difference.

But it's also possible it was not an accident. I'm not asking, but one indicator might be whether the man's penis was erect. I don't have any personal experience, but I understand from reading that exhibitionists usually get an erection from exposing themselves. (Note: I am not an expert and this may not always be true.)

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Network Quietly Puts '7th Heaven' Back on the Air

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/12/06/7th-h...tv-stephen-collins-molestation/#ixzz3L9XjE6Y0

 

[kato]

Celeb Lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan Busted for DUI



"The lawyer repping child molester Stephen Collins in his divorce is going to be jumping from courtroom to courtroom, because TMZ has learned he was busted for DUI Friday night."

"Kaplan flunked the field sobriety test and was taken to the West Hollywood Sheriff's substation and booked on DUI."

"Kaplan was cited at the station and released."


Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/22/mark-...tephen-collins-kevin-federline/#ixzz3Jq9oAilq

Maybe he should hire another Mark. Mark Geragos. LOL

 

[Spurser]

But it's also possible it was not an accident. I'm not asking, but one indicator might be whether the man's penis was erect. I don't have any personal experience, but I understand from reading that exhibitionists usually get an erection from exposing themselves. (Note: I am not an expert and this may not always be true.)

I honestly don't remember. I do remember thinking that it was HUGE. I don't know if that's because I had never seen a grown man's penis (erect or not). But now that I'm adult and have seen a few, I can honestly say that I have never seen a flaccid penis that big. So, I'm thinking it was probably erect.

I recently told my mom about it and she said that when this man was running for DA years ago, a friend of hers said that he was a horrible person and no one knew what he was really like. I should also mention that his first wife committed suicide.