After a five-day trial, a jury found 62-year-old William Benton Oswald, a former South Carolina pastor, guilty of sexually assaulting two of his daughters. He was sentenced to 20 years for the crimes against each daughter, for a total consecutive sentence of 40 years.
The abuse started in the early 1990s and continued into the early 2000s, during his daughters' early childhood. The daughters testified against their father and revealed the abuse they experienced as children. They also talked about their trauma and how it impacts their lives as well as the lives of their friends and family. Caitlin Ashworth "Former Midlands pastor sentenced to 40 years in prison for child sex crimes" https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/news/william-benton-oswald-pastor-child-sex-crimes-lexington-county/article_77a84cce-9378-11ee-8377-7fc1a3864fb2.html (Dec. 05, 2023).
Commentary and Checklist
Parental sexual abuse of a child is extremely difficult for safe adults to spot. First, it occurs in a private home by a person or people who have legal responsibility of caring for their children. Most importantly, the victims are dependent on their parents and, in many cases, love the perpetrator, making it unlikely that they would report the abuse. If they are very young, the victims may not know that the abuse is wrong, and they may have been led to believe the abuse is normal.
For that reason, it is important for safe adults to watch for the behavioral signs of adults that may indicate the adult is not safe with children. These signs can include:
· A desire to be with children/students or one particular child/student without other adults present
· Goes to great lengths to build trust with children/students and adults around them
· Looks for and/or creates opportunities to be with children/students away from parents and other adults
· Provides gifts, money, or attention to children/students without parent, caregiver, or organization knowledge and/or consent
· Takes and collects images of children/students not related to them
· Acts like a child/student and does child-like things to receive attention from children/students
· Prefers the company of children/students to adults and/or is uncomfortable around adults
· Wants children/students to view them as preferable over other adults
· Fixates on one or a few children/students while ignoring others
· Gives special permissions, such as, increasing grades without merit, allowing students to sleep in class, or allowing children to bend organizational rules
· Asking a student to stay after class alone without other adults/students present
· Communicates directly to children/students online or other means without parent, caregiver, and/or employer knowledge
· Disrespects or demeans parents, caregivers, and other adults to children/students
· Frequently touches children/students, sexually or otherwise
· Makes sexual comments or uses sex speak around children/students
· Makes comments to children/students about their bodies or appearance
· Views, stores, and shows pornography to minors
· Provides alcohol or drugs to children/students or permits children/students to abuse alcohol or drugs in their presence
· Has coercive sexual fantasies
· Is impulsive and has antisocial tendencies
· Prefers impersonal sex
· Is hostile toward women
· Has a childhood history of sexual or physical abuse
· Talks about sexual activities regarding children, students, or teens
· Encourages children/students to keep secrets
· Requests adult partners to dress or act like a child/student during sex
· Identifies children/students using sexual slang terms
· Frequently visits places where children/students are present
· Loiters in places where children/students are nude, semi-nude or can be viewed without notice, such as, bathrooms and locker rooms
