The father of a mentally handicapped woman who was raped last year asked to address the court Thursday prior to the imposition of a sentence against the man convicted of the crime.
The man said his faith would allow him to forgive David Keeley, 50, of Reno, for his trespasses; however, the man said he took issue with Keeley and his attorney in their characterization of his daughter at last month's trial.
In January, a jury found Keeley guilty of two first-degree felony counts of rape and three fourth-degree felony counts of gross sexual imposition surrounding acts with a 23-year-old woman who prosecutors said had the cognitive abilities of a 5- to 7-year-old.
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BRAD BAUER The Marietta Times
Reno resident David Keeley, 50, got a seven-year prison sentence that was imposed Thursday after he was convicted of raping a developmentally disabled neighbor. With Keeley is his attorney Dennis Sipe.
Washington County Common Pleas Judge Ed Lane sentenced Keeley, a British citizen, to serve seven years in prison, after which he is expected to be deported to the United Kingdom.
The victim's father, who is not being identified to avoid indirectly identifying the victim in the case, said Keeley and his attorney, Dennis Sipe, repeatedly downplayed his daughter's mental disability, despite knowing differently.
The defense argued the woman was more mature than her family thought. Keeley testified he never used force and the woman was a willing participant.
Fact Box
Timeline
May 2, 2010 - Reno resident David Keeley is charged with rape after a 23-year-old developmentally disabled woman reported to her mother that she had had sexual encounters with the man.
May 28 - Keeley is indicted on charges of rape and gross sexual imposition.
January - Keeley is convicted of rape and gross sexual imposition after a week-long trial in Washington County Common Pleas Court.
Thursday- Keeley is sentenced to seven years in prison.
"You hired a well-known and respected forensic psychologist to review (her) psychological tests," the father said. "And then you had him interrogate her to determine her level of mental ability. After the interrogation, he informed (us) that you would not be happy with his report. ...
"I guess you were not pleased, because you never called him as a witness. But with your knowledge of this information ... you still consistently made light of her mental disability."
Sipe did not address the statement. Keeley did offer an apology to the victim and her family.
"There's not a night that goes by that I'm not lying there just thinking about the whole circumstances of what happened through all of this," Keeley said. "I just feel horrible."
Keeley had faced up to 14 years in prison on his conviction. It was initially reported he had faced 24 years, but attorneys determined any sentence imposed on the two rape counts were required to run together.
Keeley was charged last May after the woman told her mother about sexual encounters with her neighbor. Because of her mental capacity, prosecutors said the woman was unable to give consent.
