Tue 13 Jul 99 11:12
A tidbit from Reuters today:
Man Sentenced For Forced Marriage To Niece
SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A man who took his underage niece
as his 15th wife was sentenced Friday to up to 10 years in
prison, prosecutors said.
David Ortell Kingston, 33, was convicted in June by a jury
of incest and unlawful sexual conduct with his niece, now
aged 17. She testified she was forced in 1997 by her father
and uncle to become the uncle's 15th wife.
Kingston, who has been in custody, was sentenced to up to
five years for each count to run consecutively, Richard
Shepherd of the Salt Lake County district attorney's office,
said.
The case came to light after the teen-ager contacted police
to tell them she had run away from her uncle and had been
beaten by her father, John Kingston.
Polygamous marriages were a cornerstone of the Mormon Church
when its members, fleeing religious persecution, settled in
Utah.
But the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as the
church is formally known, renounced polygamous marriages in
1890 as a condition to the territory becoming a U.S. state.
Although polygamy has been outlawed some people still
practice it. However, the Mormon Church excommunicates
members who engage in the practice.
The marriage between Kingston and his niece was conducted in
secret with the girl's father officiating.
The girl, who has not been identified, told officials the
Kingston clan was a group of polygamists composed of mostly
family members. None is a member of the Mormon church.
Prosecutors said the case was not based on polygamy, but on
child abuse.
... Through a Jaundiced Eye Darkly--Rheum With a View
--- Blue Wave/386 v2.20
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Christian Family Values
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* Origin: Nerve Center - Where the spine is misaligned! (1:261/1000)
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