By DENISE LAVOIE, AP Legal Affairs Writer
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man whose conviction was overturned in a day care molestation case after he spent 21 years in prison is asking a court to wipe his record clean.
Bernard Baran was convicted in 1985 of molesting five children at the Pittsfield day care center where he worked. Baran’s conviction came during a national hysteria over child-care sex abuse cases.
Baran maintained his innocence and was released in 2006 after a judge ruled that his trial lawyer was incompetent. Prosecutors decided not to retry him.
The state attorney general’s office opposes the move to erase his record, arguing in court documents that he didn’t receive a judgment in his favor against the state in his erroneous conviction cases. Baran reached a settlement with the state, but the state denied liability.
Uh no. Once a child molester always a child molester. If he didn’t want people to call him a child molester perhaps he shouldn’t have molested five kids.
Courts find you innocent, you are innocent. It should not matter the crime you are accused of. We enjoy “innocent until proven guilty” in this country, and if a man is not found to be guilty in a court, he should not bear the punishment reserved for those who are.
He was not found innocent. If this is tje case, why doesn’t he bring it nack to court to have his name cleared.
He wasn’t found innocent he just thinks that because he served the jail time the crime should be removed from his record.
Also, why would anyone stand up for a convicted child molester?
You’re right, he wasn’t found innocent. But if you read the article it states that he was convicted during a nationwide hysteria. And the judge ordered him released 21 years later because his lawyer was incompetent. It’s interesting that the prosecutors didn’t want to retry him. Regardless if he wants to clear his name he should go through the appeals process.