美国前体操医生认罪

Former US Gymnastics Doctor Admits Guilt¹ in Sex Abuse Case

A former USA Gymnastics doctor has told a court in the United States that he is guilty of sexual assault connected to his work with the national gymnastics organization and Michigan State University.

The man, Larry Nassar, now faces at least 25 years in prison.

He admitted to abusing seven girls at his home and in a Michigan State medical office. Six of them were gymnasts under his medical care. The abuse took place during what Nassar had called pain-relieving treatments.

Nassar faces similar accusations² in other cases in criminal and civil courts. More than 125 women and girls are taking legal action against him. A federal court is also considering what to sentence Nassar for a child pornography conviction.

In April, American medical officials permanently³ barred Nassar from serving as a doctor.

American Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas are among the women who have publicly said they were Nassar’s victims. All three women were on the gold medal-winning Olympic team in 2012. Raisman and Douglas also won gold with the team in the 2016 games.

Douglas, who also won the 2012 Olympic all-around gold medal, confirmed on Tuesday that she was among Nassar’s victims.

Raisman discussed the abuse earlier this month in a television interview on the news program 60 Minutes. She was highly critical of the way USA Gymnastics dealt with reports of sexual abuse.

USA Gymnastics is also facing legal action, as is Michigan State and the United States Olympic Committee.

Maroney wrote about her abuse last month on Twitter, as part of the #MeToo social media movement.

In a statement Wednesday, USA Gymnastics said “We admire the strength shown by Gabby and her teammates in speaking out publicly to hold a predator⁴ accountable….We are very sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career.”

On Wednesday, Nassar admitted to putting his fingers inside of the victims. He said his actions had no real medical purpose and that he did not have the girls’ permission.

The decision at the court in Ingham County, Michigan, requires a prison sentence of at least 25 years. A judge could sentence Nassar to as many 40 years, however.

Sentencing is set for January 12.

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told Nassar Wednesday: “You used your position of trust ... in the most vile⁵ way to abuse children.”

She called the accusers “superheroes for all of America, because this is an epidemic⁶.” By epidemic, she means childhood sexual abuse affects a large number of people.

After the hearing, one of the accusers, Larissa Boyce, said it was “really hard” to look at Nassar in the courtroom.

“This was a man we trusted. He’s admitting what he did was wrong and evil,” Boyce said.

Words in This Story

relieve - v. to reduce or remove (something, such as pain or an unpleasant feeling)

pornography - n. movies, pictures, magazines, etc., that show or describe naked people or sex in a very open and direct way in order to cause sexual excitement

admire - v. to feel respect or approval for (someone or something)

predator - n. a person who looks for other people in order to use, control, or harm them in some way

accountable - adj. required to be responsible for something

vile - adj. evil or immoral

1 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

2 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

5 vile   

adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的

参考例句：

• Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢？
• Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。

6 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。