Utah
Utah golf coach sent to prison for abusing student who became ‘a prisoner of my own life’
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PRICE — A former highschool golf coach is headed to jail for sexually abusing a pupil, who was additionally a member of the golf group.
The abuse occurred for a few yr and a half.
Kenneth George Otani, 55, of Helper, was sentenced Wednesday to 2 concurrent phrases of 1 to fifteen years within the Utah State Jail.
“I’ve been a prisoner of my very own life,” the sufferer, now 21, stated in the course of the sentencing listening to. “You took away my innocence, my childhood, the final of me being a child.”
Otani was initially charged final yr with object rape and forcible sodomy, first-degree felonies, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. In February, he pleaded responsible to forcible sexual abuse and a decreased cost of forcible sodomy, a second-degree felony, as a part of a plea deal. In change, the item rape cost was dropped.
Otani started grooming and later abusing his sufferer when she was 16 in 2018 and a member of the Carbon Excessive Faculty golf group. Along with being her coach, Otani was additionally a personal golf teacher for the woman.
The woman estimated she was abused not less than 100 occasions over the course of her highschool years, in keeping with police. On some events, Otani would prepare personal golf classes to be held at his home and in his bed room, the woman informed the courtroom. And on group journeys, he would have a key to the woman’s room.
Otani additionally informed the woman that if she have been to inform anybody what was taking place that he would kill himself. Due to that, the woman stated she was pressured to behave as if nothing was improper round her family and friends with a purpose to “defend a lie.”
The lady, who addressed the courtroom by calling in from a distant location, says she continues to be struggling right now due to what occurred and has been recognized with post-traumatic stress dysfunction. She says she will now not belief any man and Otani took away from her a sport that she loved.
“I can now not golf because it causes me extreme anxiousness and stress,” the girl informed the choose, whereas additionally addressing Otani. “You manipulated me and suppressed my voice. … You need to know what it is like being a prisoner, to day-after-day be beneath another person’s management.”
The lady says she was going to varsity on a golf scholarship. Now she says she will’t play anymore and does not know the way she is going to be capable to pay for her school training.
The lady’s father additionally addressed the choose and her mom submitted a letter that was learn within the courtroom. Each talked concerning the sufferer shaming they’ve felt from the neighborhood because it was revealed that the favored golf teacher was beneath investigation.
“I do not care what individuals on this neighborhood suppose or say,” her father stated. “I do know no guardian alive that might be OK with what Ken did to my daughter. It is disgusting.”
“Why did you select our household to destroy? All we did was present you kindness and friendship,” the mom’s letter said, noting that Otani was once good associates with the girl’s household.
The mom stated Otani preyed on her daughter, manipulated the complete household and gave all of them “a everlasting trauma tattoo.”
“We trusted Kenneth to be our coach and household pal. As a substitute, we let her have entry to a monster,” the mom stated.
Each prosecutors and a presentence report ready by Grownup Probation and Parole beneficial that the choose deviate from the state sentencing matrix pointers — which referred to as for Otani to serve rather less than a yr in jail — and as a substitute ship him to jail.
“This can be a case {that a} deviation from the matrix is warranted given the place of particular belief he occupied,” stated Carbon County deputy district legal professional Dominique Kiahtpes stated. “These positions name for the honour and privilege of shaping younger lives. … The very last thing that oldsters want to fret about is that if their kids have gotten victims of their athletic coaches.”
Kiahtpes says the woman felt like she could not inform Otani to cease as a result of she would find yourself lacking out on her athletic profession and potential scholarships. However now, “golf is now not satisfying, it is a reminder of darker days.”
Protection legal professional Greg Legislation, nonetheless referred to as the presentence report inaccurate, insufficient and incomplete.
Legislation argued that the sentencing course of must be fact-based and goal and stated evidence-based sentencing insurance policies should be relied on. Sentences shouldn’t be subjective or based mostly on feelings, he stated.
“We should not be sending messages to the neighborhood,” Legislation stated.
Legislation famous that Otani doesn’t have a prison historical past and that an analysis performed previous to sentencing confirmed he was at low danger to reoffend. He additionally argued that the girl was the one sufferer and that the abuse did not begin till she was 17, although the state says the inappropriate conduct started when she was 16.
Earlier than being sentenced, Otani made a short assertion, saying he hopes the girl can now lead a contented life.
“I’m sorry for what I’ve finished and for my actions,” he stated.
However seventh District Decide Jeremiah Humes stated he agreed with prosecutors that whereas the coed was the one direct sufferer, her members of the family have been oblique victims of Otani’s conduct. He additionally famous that being ready of particular belief was important, and the girl endured substantial psychological abuse.
Moreover, Humes identified that Otani was already avoiding a possible life sentence by getting a plea deal and having a forcible sodomy cost decreased to a second-degree felony.
“I do not suppose a brief jail time period will provide you with accountability,” Humes stated. “There must be accountability.”
As he sentenced Otani to concurrent phrases of 1 to fifteen years in jail on every depend, he made some extent to say that the sentence was not meant to ship a message, “That’s the reason I am not making them consecutive (sentences).”
“It doesn’t matter what I would do right here right now there are not any winners, there may be solely devastation and unhappiness,” Humes stated. “Nothing I do right here right now will make this proper.
“I hope right now will convey some measure of closure and permit you to transfer ahead along with your lives,” he informed the girl and her household, whereas additionally telling the girl that he hopes she will not let her future be outlined by what Otani did.
Humes additionally wished Otani the “better of luck” and informed him this was his “alternative to resolve how you will transfer ahead,” earlier than ordering him to be instantly taken into custody and transported to jail.