Thank you for highlighting the egregious decision in the Van Lerberghe case (“Ex-HPD officer to get probation for assaulting girl, 5,” Star-Advertiser, May 29).

Like two other letter writers, I was appalled at the lax sentencing of Teddy Van Lerberghe for sexually abusing a child repeatedly over four years starting when she was 5.

A 60-year-old woman who had been molested as a young child once told me: “In return for a man’s moments of pleasure I have suffered my entire life. I lost my innocence, my ability to trust, and my opportunity to form a healthy marital sexual relationship. I have suffered fears and flashbacks to that experience all of my life.”

The child in this case has suffered terrible mistreatment for half her life. The community needs to make sure that the judge is held accountable when reviewed, and that no future judge can disregard the sentencing guidelines in this way.

Caroline Ward Oda

Kuliouou

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