FL - Henry Sengaroun for rape of 8yo girl, St Petersburg, 2006

[MREG2]

This sick freak (which doesn't qualify as a valid defence in my opinion) did this in broad daylight in front of several witnesses. I think he would have done this even if the mother would have been in the park with her kids, the mother merely an obstacle to subdue or even kill so that he could catch his prey. Did she display poor judgement? Absolutely. Should she be vilified for it? I don't think so. She is probably already doing that to herself. I am so sick of hearing about kids and babies being raped. I don't believe pedophiles can be rehabilitated. I seriously hope this lowlife stain on humanity is getting a severe a$$-pounding in jail right now. He deserves nothing more for the rest of his life, 'mental' issues or not. :behindbar

As a parent I feel so hopeless and helpless knowing that there are predators like this in every neighbourhood and that law enforcement is already strained trying to deal with this problem. I commend anyone in law enforcement who takes on this type of work, because I know I wouldn't have the stomach or the resolve for it. One thing I know for sure is that when my son is old enough to use a computer, he will NOT be getting one in his room. He will use the one and only computer in our house that is located in the living room where I can keep an eye on absolutely everything he is doing online. And absolutely NO #$%@# CHAT ROOMS. If he wants to 'chat' with his friends, he can pick up the damn phone and call them, I will never ever waver on this. I saw a re-run of Oprah the other day and a Detective who posed as a child online to trick pedophiles said to keep your kids out of chat rooms because there is always someone there preying on kids and the conversations almost always become sexual. I apologize for the long rant as my first post, but as you can see it is an issue I have very strong opinions about. :innocent:

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[southcitymom]

Don't count on it - apparently Henry Sengaroun has 'mental health issues'

defence enough to save him from jail?

Kenny Miller knew Henry Sengaroun was mentally disturbed, and even his own mother was afraid of him. Sometimes, the 18-year-old would wander the neighborhood aimlessly, said Miller, a community police officer.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/21/Southpinellas/Man_is_arrested_in_ra.shtml

Some quotes from this article:
"The brazen nature of the rape also shocked authorities and experts."

"Lin Huff-Corzine, an expert in criminal behavior at the University of Central Florida, said the manner of the rape was exceptionally unusual."

"Rapes occur more often in secluded areas, and are usually committed by people who know their victims, she said. "Rapists have a tendency to enjoy stalking their victim," she said."

"The crime was unusual for the neighborhood, where only two calls reporting sexual battery have been made to police in the past year."

Looks like many people were shocked by this random crime.

 

[beakiebean]

Why not blame our legal system for not locking these people up and keeping them locked up, or the rapist's family-who knew he was disturbed and did nothing about it. Why not blame Florida for letting itself turn into perv heaven. How about blaming ourselves for not all rallying together and being in our lawmaker's faces so much that they pass better child protection laws to keep kids safe.

We don't even know that the crime wouldn't have happened if she'd been there. Maybe if she'd been there and tried to fight him off he would have killer her or incapaciated her and done it anyway. We just don't know. Would it have been better if it had been the little girl getting mail and her mom couldn't run out of the house and save her in time when someone snatched her at the mailbox? Would it be somehow less heinous because the mom was standing there helpless 30 feet away instead of 130? The only person I hold accountable for this is the sick F*%$ that did it. It didn't have to happen because he didn't have to do it. He acted with complete deliberation and malice-he could have stopped at anytime before raping her and he chose not to.

Aren't we all sick of being afraid all the time-isn't it insane that are kids can't be half a block away without being in danger. Think about it-a half block is about 130 feet-that's not that far-I can run half a block in like 15 seconds! Instead of pointing fingers at the mother why not point a finger at the predators who stalk our children and the system that seems to give them free reign to do it.

 

[bakerprune64]

Yes, it is the parents' responsibility to protect our children but dear God you can not be beside them 100% of the time. I'm learning this now when my oldest goes off to preschool and I will be leaving her in the hands of people, whom I hope are decent and respectable. After reading this, I am petrified that if something happens to her, then I will be to blame. After all, won't it be me leaving her there and not physically there to "protect" her???

Honestly I think you are losing sight of what we are saying here. She left her child, unattended, a half a block away. I'm not saying she should get prosecuted or have her children taken away. I am only saying that it was her responsilibity to her children to protect them. If she had not left them behind, her daughter probably would not have gotten raped. Taking your children and leaving them at school is not even a valid comparison here, you are entrusting their care to the school. Let's put the shoe on the other foot, shall we?? If it was your child who was raped under the same circumstances, would you be saying (not you in particular MREG2) well I did the best job possible to raise my children without fear of society! And I didn't want to put them on too tight of a leash. I doubt that many of you would be singing the same song.

 

[southerngirl]

Why not blame our legal system for not locking these people up and keeping them locked up, or the rapist's family-who knew he was disturbed and did nothing about it. Why not blame Florida for letting itself turn into perv heaven. How about blaming ourselves for not all rallying together and being in our lawmaker's faces so much that they pass better child protection laws to keep kids safe.

We don't even know that the crime wouldn't have happened if she'd been there. Maybe if she'd been there and tried to fight him off he would have killer her or incapaciated her and done it anyway. We just don't know. Would it have been better if it had been the little girl getting mail and her mom couldn't run out of the house and save her in time when someone snatched her at the mailbox? Would it be somehow less heinous because the mom was standing there helpless 30 feet away instead of 130? The only person I hold accountable for this is the sick F*%$ that did it. It didn't have to happen because he didn't have to do it. He acted with complete deliberation and malice-he could have stopped at anytime before raping her and he chose not to.

Aren't we all sick of being afraid all the time-isn't it insane that are kids can't be half a block away without being in danger. Think about it-a half block is about 130 feet-that's not that far-I can run half a block in like 15 seconds! Instead of pointing fingers at the mother why not point a finger at the predators who stalk our children and the system that seems to give them free reign to do it.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[southerngirl]

Honestly I think you are losing sight of what we are saying here. She left her child, unattended, a half a block away. I'm not saying she should get prosecuted or have her children taken away. I am only saying that it was her responsilibity to her children to protect them. If she had not left them behind, her daughter probably would not have gotten raped. Taking your children and leaving them at school is not even a valid comparison here, you are entrusting their care to the school. Let's put the shoe on the other foot, shall we?? If it was your child who was raped under the same circumstances, would you be saying (not you in particular MREG2) well I did the best job possible to raise my children without fear of society! And I didn't want to put them on too tight of a leash. I doubt that many of you would be singing the same song.

I think you too are losing sight of what now the majority of posters here are saying. These children were 130 feet away from their mother for about 5 minutes. The monster struck in that time frame. My children are many times a day 130 feet from me for 5 minutes (or longer). A monster could strike, for instance, when my daughters go to the mailbox or go to swing in the yard or when playing at a playmate's house or when at summer camp. The list is endless. The great majority of time our children will be safe and no tragedy will befall them. On rare occasions they will have a "terrible collision with evil." (I really like that analogy, southcitymom!)

 

[ljwf22]

Same here in California Jules.

Same here. There is a form of printing called D'Nealian that looks a lot like cursive. Many letters have tails, rather than the old ball and stick. Makes the transition to cursive easier.

I would never have left a 6 and 8-year old at a park unattended, even for a half-block trip. But then, I'd never leave home with the stove on, either.

Any update on this guy?

 

[southcitymom]

I think this whack job would have attacked her regardless of who was around.

 

[southcitymom]

Honestly I think you are losing sight of what we are saying here. She left her child, unattended, a half a block away. I'm not saying she should get prosecuted or have her children taken away. I am only saying that it was her responsilibity to her children to protect them. If she had not left them behind, her daughter probably would not have gotten raped. Taking your children and leaving them at school is not even a valid comparison here, you are entrusting their care to the school. Let's put the shoe on the other foot, shall we?? If it was your child who was raped under the same circumstances, would you be saying (not you in particular MREG2) well I did the best job possible to raise my children without fear of society! And I didn't want to put them on too tight of a leash. I doubt that many of you would be singing the same song.

While I hope the fates never require me to test your theory, I honestly believe that if this had happened to my child, I would still be singing the same song. The melody is an intrinsic part of who I am and of my belief system.

 

[jannuncutt]

I think this whack job would have attacked her regardless of who was around.

I think so too. He might have done it even if the mother was with them. He could have knocked the hell out of the mother and then grabbed the girl. IMO he was out to rape somebody and fast.

 

[kidzndogznme]

Very well put!!!!

Honestly I think you are losing sight of what we are saying here. She left her child, unattended, a half a block away. I'm not saying she should get prosecuted or have her children taken away. I am only saying that it was her responsilibity to her children to protect them. If she had not left them behind, her daughter probably would not have gotten raped. Taking your children and leaving them at school is not even a valid comparison here, you are entrusting their care to the school. Let's put the shoe on the other foot, shall we?? If it was your child who was raped under the same circumstances, would you be saying (not you in particular MREG2) well I did the best job possible to raise my children without fear of society! And I didn't want to put them on too tight of a leash. I doubt that many of you would be singing the same song.

 

[southcitymom]

Why not blame our legal system for not locking these people up and keeping them locked up, or the rapist's family-who knew he was disturbed and did nothing about it. Why not blame Florida for letting itself turn into perv heaven. How about blaming ourselves for not all rallying together and being in our lawmaker's faces so much that they pass better child protection laws to keep kids safe.

Good point. However, in this case it doesn't look like he had a history of this sort of crime, though it sounds like he was a creepy odd presence and was probably working up to something like this. I don't know the solution - what do you do with someone who is as mentally unstable as this guy. You can't jail someone for being a nutcase.

I think we are slowly but surely making strides with child protection laws. It just takes time.

And, God Bless Florida, it really does seem to have a disproportionate number of creeps.

 

[MrsMush99]

What really boggles my mind is that there are people on this board (a crime forum) that see what evil things happen to children everyday and they can sit here and say that it's OK to leave children who are ages 7 and 8 by themselves in a park to go turn off a stove. :doh:

 

[kidzndogznme]

I think I am done posting on this topic. I do not agree with those of you who think the mother in this case did well. I think she made a terrible parenting decision and I think she was dead wrong. The daughter now gets a life of hell and the mother deserves to feel guilty, IMO. Those of you who claim you have your beliefs and your system and most of the time, you believe nothing will happen, good for you. So I guess the rest of the time (the time leftover after "most") if something bad happens, that is just the way the cookie crumbles?? I don't think that is such a great plan and I won't ever practice that with my kids. To the poster who says that she will still be OK with her decision to leave her kids 1/2 block away even IF something happened to her kid, I don't believe that for a second. I think the tune would change real fast.
Either way, I have my beliefs. Some agree and some think my parenting style is flawed. I am not going to change your thoughts and you won't be able to change mine. So I think my part of this discussion is over.

 

[bakerprune64]

What really boggles my mind is that there are people on this board (a crime forum) that see what evil things happen to children everyday and they can sit here and say that it's OK to leave children who are ages 7 and 8 by themselves in a park to go turn off a stove. :doh:

:blowkiss: That's all that I'm trying to say here MrsMush. I'm not saying that she needs to be locked up or have her kids taken away. I am simply saying that you cannot put 100% of the blame for this incident on the perp, who clearly isn't in his right mind, and even if he was, it could have been prevented by not leaving them alone. Yes, she will be tormented with guilt as will the two kids. I don't see parenting my children on "a tight leash" as some posters put it, as bad parenting. I'm just realistic in my approach to parenting, bc I refuse to let my children become that 1 in 99 that it happens to. My job as a parent is to do everything in my power to protect, nurture and love them. I don't think by being restricitve with your children is detrimental to their growth or development.

 

[Marie]

All of you might want to read the discussion about the topic of how close to supervise your children on MetaFilter
Several crime statistics and articles are also sited.

 

[Mama-cita]

It's not nearly the same as being raped I'm sure, but being overly controlled by hyper-worried parents can majorly screw up a kid, too.

Btw, cursive writing is taught in 1st grade now, printing in Pre and K.

I respectfully disagree that minding your young children qualifies one as a "hyper-worried" parent. Those kids were young, and could not have defended themselves. AND PEOPLE, GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS: No one has blamed this mother! People have said she acted irresponsibly, and that THIS CRIME WAS PREVENTABLE! Why is it so hard for some people to acknowledge that? We have a society where NO ONE is accountable anymore, well guess what, people DO screw up every day, and people with an adult mindset take accountability for their actions. THIS MOM MADE A BAD CHOICE! DID IT GIVE THAT BUM A RIGHT TO RAPE THE GIRL??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But it was preventable! THAT is the whole point! Do I feel for the woman? Yes! But she made a horrible mistake. Maybe the poor little girl would have been better off with a nervous nellie mommie, then being an 8 year-old victim of rape because her mom felt she needed to let her learn about the world. I am a board certified pediatric nurse and over the years have seen MANY, MANY, MANY parents live to regret horrible lapses in judgment, so my advice to parents is ALWAYS: BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY! I would rather my kids think I was "no fun" for not letting them ride their bike off the cul-de-sac, where I could see them, then bury my 7 year old son because I let him go where he wanted to go *unsupervised* so I wouldn't "restrict" his learning about the world.

BTW I loooooooooove to meet a first grader that could write cursive, with that type of manual dexterity the kid could be a surgeon! I am not sure where you live, but nationally, cursive is not presented until the third grade:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/09/national/main557572.shtml

 

[MrsMush99]

Thank You MamaCita. And very well put.

BTW, about the cursive writing. They are taking it out of the public schools here in New York. If you want you child to learn it you have to teach them. Thankfully my children do not go to public school.

 

[MrsMush99]

I think you too are losing sight of what now the majority of posters here are saying. These children were 130 feet away from their mother for about 5 minutes. The monster struck in that time frame. My children are many times a day 130 feet from me for 5 minutes (or longer). A monster could strike, for instance, when my daughters go to the mailbox or go to swing in the yard or when playing at a playmate's house or when at summer camp. The list is endless. The great majority of time our children will be safe and no tragedy will befall them. On rare occasions they will have a "terrible collision with evil." (I really like that analogy, southcitymom!)

It only takes a minute. BTW, how old are you children? If you mentioned it in a previous post I missed it.

 

[southerngirl]

It only takes a minute. BTW, how old are you children? If you mentioned it in a previous post I missed it.

12 (almost 13), 9, and 6.