Former Delaware paediatrician Earl Bradley was sentenced to 14 consecutive life terms after being convicted of sexually abusing children who had been brought to him for medical care, in a case that prosecutors said involved 103 victims.
Bradley was convicted in 2011 on 14 counts of first degree rape, five counts of second degree assault and five counts of sexual exploitation of a child. The Delaware Supreme Court later upheld his conviction and sentence.
The Brandspur Brand News reports that the case came to light after allegations against Bradley triggered a police investigation and searches of his medical practice and property. Investigators recovered extensive video evidence showing Bradley sexually assaulting young patients, almost all of whom were identified as his patients in court records.
Prosecutors had initially charged Bradley in a 471 count indictment involving 103 children. The allegations included abuse of children as young as three months old, while court records documented reports of inappropriate examinations and touching that had previously raised concerns among some parents and former colleagues.
The evidence presented at trial included more than 13 hours of recordings recovered from Bradley’s home and medical practice. Prosecutors showed the videos to the judge during the one day trial, with the footage involving 86 victims. Some of the recordings dated back to 1998 and continued until shortly before Bradley’s arrest in December 2009.
Court records also established that some children were subjected to repeated abuse over extended periods. The allegations were not limited to a single incident involving each victim, with the indictment describing multiple offences against individual children.
Bradley was arrested in December 2009 after a mother reported that her two year old daughter had told her the doctor had hurt her during a visit to his office. The subsequent investigation uncovered evidence that led to the wide ranging indictment.
At trial, Bradley was convicted on all 24 counts that were presented to the court, including the 14 rape charges. He received 14 mandatory life sentences and an additional 164 years at Level V imprisonment.
The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the conviction in 2012 after rejecting Bradley’s challenge to evidence obtained during the search of his former practice. His later attempt to obtain post conviction relief was also rejected by the courts.
In 2013, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden announced that prosecutors would end the remaining criminal case against Bradley rather than require additional victims to testify, saying his existing conviction and sentence already ensured that he would remain in prison for life.
