Goddard guilty: ‘Now the healing can start’
Parents huddled together with tears rolling down their faces, as Judge Kate Pillay delivered her judgement convicting Darren Goddard on multiple charges of sexual assault and one charge of rape at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday.
While Friday’s judgement ended a harrowing six-year battle for the justice of nine boys Goddard sexually abused between 2012 and 2016; it also marks the start of healing for these boys and their families.
Pillay found Goddard, who was at the time of crimes a school counsellor, guilty on seven of the 15 counts he was charged with. He was convicted on five counts of sexual assault, one count of rape, and one count of accessing child pornography. Sentencing has been adjourned until July 13. Speaking to Capital Newspapers after the judgement, the mother of one of the boys said she was so proud of the bravery of her son, and all the boys who came forward, and she hopes this will be the start of healing for everyone.
“Today, justice was done for my son, and for all the other boys. I am so proud of all the boys who stood up against this monster,” said the mother.
She said it was the boys themselves, and not their parents, who brought justice. “My son and all the other boys, they all brought justice today. They were so brave and so young when they gave testimony and stood up for themselves in cross-examination.
“I just hope that this will be the start of healing for my son, and all the other boys.”
Reflecting on an extremely emotionally-wrenching and angering trial, the mother said she often found herself crying “more out of frustration and anger”.
“The cross-examination angered me, but I had to do it for my son.” She added that some of the hardest parts was hearing snippets of the evidence her son had given in camera during the court proceedings, which the parents were not allowed to be present for.
“Things would come out later on in the trial and I would learn of things that happened to my son that I hadn’t known about.” She said while she still deals with feeling of guilt that she didn’t pick up any of the signs beforehand, going through the trial she learnt the extent to which Goddard had been grooming the parents as well throughout their interactions while their children were receiving counselling.
She also noted the lack of support the justice system provides for the victims of sexual assault.
“Apart from Colonel Wondra Bezuidenhout, from the Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, Investigating Officer Neil Sivenarain and State Advocate Attie Truter — who have all been amazingly supportive and never stopped fighting for us and reassuring us — there really hasn’t been much support given to the parents when it comes to dealing with sexual abuse.
“Yes, we take our children to psychologists; but I can’t just Google what to do when my son suddenly stops talking to me. And what about the parents who don’t have medical aid and can’t afford counseling? There is not enough support for victims and families who are broken by this abuse,” she said.
Her advice to any parent faced with a situation of abuse is to “believe your child”.
“Please believe you child! You have to believe your child. I believed my son and that got us through everything,” the urged.
Her advice to any parent faced with a situation of abuse is to “believe your child”.
“Please believe your child! You have to believe your child. I believed my son and that got us through everything,” she urged.
Her son is still suffering through the healing process. “He isn’t ready to go back to school, so I have been home-schooling him. His emotions are still up and down, and he has many breakdowns. He’s still afraid of Goddard. Every time I left the house he was afraid because of the threats Goddard told him to keep him quiet. But my son has hope for his healing,” she shared.