Elderly Female Pastor and Pedophile

This awful case shows that even age is no guarantee that children will be safe. The comment made by the defense attorney arguing for leniency because she did not fit the typical profile struck me as odd. This was a horrible case where children went from one abusive environment to another nightmare. The girls ranged in age between 4 and 11.


CA - The pastor of a church in a Riverside County strip mall was sentenced to life in state prison Friday for abusing her five adopted daughters, who were beaten daily, fed spoiled food and hidden in a garage. Jessica Banks' adopted daughters say they still have nightmares that if their former foster mother ever gets out of jail, she will keep her promise to kill them.

On Friday, a Superior Court judge sentenced Banks to two consecutive life sentences, making it likely that the 65-year-old woman will die in prison for the years of abuse she inflicted on the five sisters.

Banks, who was convicted in July of 13 counts of child abuse and two of sexual penetration by force and fear, vehemently denied the girls' claims. She sat stoically in a blue jail uniform as Judge Richard Hanscom read the sentences.

"I've been in this business a long time, and I've never seen anything quite like this," the judge said. "It just defies belief, but it happened."

Banks became the girls' foster parent in 2000 after they were abused by their biological family, court records show. She legally adopted the girls in 2004.

Banks kicked them and beat them daily with cords, sticks, high-heeled shoes and belts, court records state. The girls ate spoiled food and were forced to clean the house. They had bedrooms with bunk beds, but were not allowed to use them, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Elan Zekster said.

In court Friday, Zekster argued for consecutive life sentences. He recounted how two of the girls were sexually abused as punishment while the others were forced to watch. Zekster said Banks' sentence should be an example for anyone else who commits child abuse.

Banks' attorney, James Curtis, said two life terms would be the equivalent of a death sentence for Banks. He argued for leniency, saying she does not fit the profile of a typical sexual predator.

"There's no doubt this is a sad situation," Hanscom said. "These girls now suffer from severe problems and they had problems when they were entrusted to Ms. Banks. It's so difficult to see how anybody can treat children this way." - Read the entire article here

In another article on this was this statement from her attorney:

Despite testimony from the girls and physical evidence, "she still does not acknowledge that she did anything to these kids," Curtis said. "This is a defendant who's not seeing the same reality as everybody else."

Or maybe Dr. Susan Strickland is right when she said:

And they [female sex offenders] are less likely than men to acknowledge guilt or to feel sorry or guilty, Strickland said.