They know it's wrong, sammy. But is it more wrong to drag up the case, when the 44 year old who once was the 13 year old, says STOP!!!!!

From the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychologists...

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened, and the legal procedure for validating an episode is difficult.

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/child_sexual_abuse

I had the course Children as Witnesses last year. It is really, really hard for children to come forward especially the shy ones who are more likely to be victims. There is also the stigma of being damaged goods that goes along with the public nature of trials.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A former prosecutor says he made up a story he told a film crew about advising a judge handling Roman Polanski's sex case to send the director to prison.

In "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," David F. Wells is depicted as conferring with a trial judge more than 30 years ago about Polanski's case. Wells said in the documentary that the judge took his advice in deciding to renege on a plea bargain and give Polanski additional prison time.

"I made that up to make the stuff look better," Wells said.

He also said he overstated his actions after being told the film would air in France, not the United States. The film aired on HBO.

Wells' statement on the documentary later became part of the basis for a move by Polanski's attorneys to dismiss the case against the fugitive director, who was arrested in Switzerland on Saturday.

In France, several government officials who had initially rushed to Polanski's defense were being more cautious on Thursday, stressing that the renowned filmmaker is not above the law.

More: Support for Polanski Strengthens ... as Does the Backlash

Wells, who retired more than two years ago, did not handle Polanski's case but was assigned to the courtroom where it was heard and had frequent interactions with the now-deceased trial judge Laurence J. Rittenband.

"They interviewed me in the Malibu courthouse when I was still a DA, and I embellished a story," Wells said about the film crew in an interview with The Associated Press Wednesday. "I'm a guy who cuts to the chase - I lied. It embarrasses the hell of me."

Wells said he was sorry about making the comments for the documentary.

"I cost the DA's office a lot of money and aggravation over this," Wells said.

Polanski was accused of plying a 13-year-old girl with champagne and part of a Quaalude during a modeling shoot in 1977 and raping her. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse; in exchange, the remaining charges were dropped, and the judge agreed to send Polanski to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation.

But Polanski was released after 42 days and fled the country for France before sentencing after the judge reportedly told lawyers he planned to add more prison time.

Polanski's attorneys later argued in a motion to dismiss the case that the communications between the judge and Wells were clear misconduct and violated Polanski's constitutional rights.

Bing: Search for more on Roman Polanski

That motion was dismissed because Polanski was a fugitive at the time, though the judge acknowledged "substantial misconduct" in the original case. The matter is now in the hands of an appeals court.

One of Polanski's attorneys, Chad Hummel, declined to comment on Wells' comments. District Attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the office also had no comment.

Marina Zenovich, who directed the film, did not return a phone message seeking comment.

Wells' admission was first reported in a story by former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark on the Web site The Daily Beast.

Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, who long ago identified herself, has joined in Polanski's bid for dismissal. She testified at the time that Polanski forced himself on her - which he acknowledged in his guilty plea - but has said she forgives him and wants the ordeal to be over.

Wells said he would testify in court that he lied and has offered to give a sworn declaration to prosecutors about his actions, in case they need it. No one from the district attorney's office has contacted him since he made the offer several months ago, he said.

Wells said he showed Rittenband a copy of a newspaper that pictured Polanski with girls at an Oktoberfest event. Wells said he never talked about potential sentences and the judge would have seen the paper anyway.

Wells said he still believes Polanski should receive a much stiffer sentence.

Meanwhile, French government officials were softening their defense of Polanski.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner initially called Polanski's arrest a "bit sinister," while Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said the filmmaker had been "thrown to the lions."

The reactions sparked a debate in France, and many complained that the government and cultural elites were unfairly rallying behind the director because of his fame and artistic talent.

On Thursday, Kouchner offered slightly more measured comments, saying "no one is above the law," according to an interview with Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio.

French government spokesman Luc Chatel was also quoted in French media saying Polanski must face justice like everyone else.

Follow our news & gossip updates on Twitter @MSN_Entertain

We disagree, kk. There is a lot of guilt and self doubt that goes with rape of children or rape of anyone. What the 13 year old saw was the man who raped her escaping punishment. Must not have been so bad then huh? Maybe it was her fault then? The child that was raped and the grown woman are 2 different parts of the personality. The grown woman can rationalize and take settlement and ask to have it left alone. In my opinion, the 13 year old needs to see that he is punished for hurting her the way he did.

We aren't talking about a child that didn't come forward. We aren't talking about a need to validate the rape. He admitted it. There is no doubt.

No, the 13 year old did not say that. She said this:

"In the girl's grand jury testimony, which is slightly sickening to read, she also said that she had repeatedly told Polanski no, but that she was too afraid of him to resist."


An older person said "I have survived, indeed prevailed, against whatever harm Mr. Polanski may have caused me as a child. I got over it a long time ago,"

Harm he "may" have caused her as a child? That gives me plenty of reasons to doubt the adult saying that.

Do people get over being raped? I know they can go on with their lives, but "get over it"? Isn't it a part of their lives forever?

Do people get over being raped?

Yes, we do.

Interesting. I guess the people I know and have heard of are the exceptions, because they say it is part of them forever. It doesn't control their lives, but it is part of what they are.

Yet , by virtue of a rape , the female as a result has increased risk for a lifetime for various mental health and physical problems ( although personally I do not separate health into mental and physical per se ) .

This study is sobering I think , and is merely one among others :

http://www.musc.edu/vawpr...mentalimpact.shtml ( National Women's Health Study ).

I think the crit A traumas and aftermath lay person wise are often thought of in terms of a victim - survivor continuum.

Chaos thankfully it is great to hear you are doing well.

One of my sisters , a victim of rape by an adult stranger while a child and violent at that , despite a sequalae of nearly a year in an ICU at a Boston area hospital is thankfully also doing very well. And she has just the best husband imho and I can't convey enough just how much I love this BIL. Her thorasic surgeon and his wonderful wife, akin almost to a second mother, became a part of the family then and for all times and he is the reason she was able to have a life altogether. There sure are deep down good people from the inside and out that thankfully we meet along the way and change our lives forever. Priceless people I think.

Well, one question has been answered for me. I'd been wondering exactly how a 13 year old could have ended up at that party in the first place. Turns out she was there for a "photo shoot".

The fashion industry is just so ... argh. Dressing up little kids as sophisticated adults and flaunting their sexuality is developmentally inappropriate, and puts them at risk for this kind of attack. That doesn't forgive polanski--but still.

Reminds me of that Brook Shields foto shoot.
http://iconicphotos.wordp...e-shields-by-gary-gross/

And please wait before you guys get upset with these kind of links... a judge ok'ed this....

I know there's a lot of contraversy about those photos. There are those who still put a lot of effort into defending them.

I actually don't think there's much wrong with the bottom two. She looks like a normal 9 or 10 year old girl in the tub, cute and childlike. I could have taken a similar picture of my son tonight.

the top picture is really disturbing to me however. It's the pose, the hair, the oodles of makeup, the fact that they've oiled her up...it's a fooler shot. She's supposed to look much more sexual than is true for that child at that age. And the thing is--she's not designed to look older there. the whole point is that she is dressed up to be an oversexed 10 year old. And that pushes some scary buttons, especially when you consider that these pictures have been consumed over and over again all over the world.

but then, how different are they really, from kiddie beauty pagents, or those dance class shots or gymnastics shots they take of prepubescent girls? My neice came over a few months ago with professional pictures that were taken by the dance studio where she's learning ballet. She's 11. I almost fell over when i saw the pictures of her with professional hair and smoky come hither makeup.