Robert Morris, a known ally of President Donald Trump and former Texas megachurch pastor has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.
What a joke of a sentence. He should be in jail for the rest of his life, but because of his affiliation with Trump, he only gets six months.
Robert Morris, 64, entered the guilty plea during a hearing on Thursday, admitting to felony charges of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
As a part of the plea agreement, the former leader of Gateway Church was handed a 10-year sentence, but will only serve six months in jail and be on probation for the rest of the time.
He must also register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 (£185,000) in restitution.
The charges stem from Morris’ abuse of Cindy Clemishere when she was 12 years old in 1982, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office.
In court on Thursday, Ms Clemishire told Morris through tears that his abuse had “rippled into every part of her life”, according to NBC News.
Morris was working as a traveling evangelist and was living with Cindy’s family in Hominy, Oklahoma. During that time, she said, Morris abused her for four years.
Ms Clemishere and her family were in court on Thursday for Morris’ plea, according to NBC.
Ms Clemishire, now 55, first publicly accused the pastor of sexually abusing her in 2024, leading Gateway to announce that he was stepping down.
He released a statement saying he had had a “moral failure” with a “young lady”. The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office began an investigation shortly after.
Speaking in court on Thursday, Ms Clemishire said there was “no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child”.
“We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship,'” she said. “I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child.”
She said she had first told her parents and leaders at the church about the abuse in 1987 but no one called the police.
It is clear the Justice system isn’t just for everyone. Pray for the child, not adult like that he ruined.
