A Santa Clara County judge sentenced former San Jose council member Omar Torres to 18 years in prison following emotional victim testimony. The primary victim, identified as John Doe and a cousin of Torres, described repeated sexual abuse from ages four to 13, including dozens of rapes that stopped when Torres turned 18 in 1999. Family members were divided between seeking criminal accountability and emphasizing Torres' public service and sobriety. The defense portrayed Torres as a childhood abuse victim; the prosecution countered by citing victims who endured trauma without harming others. Torres offered a somber apology at sentencing.
"F*** your forgiveness," Doe said as he staggered out of the San Jose Hall of Justice courtroom during Torres' final remarks before sentencing.
"You could call me a survivor. You could call me a victim. What I really am, is my own childhood hero to the little kid who suffered so much," Doe told the court.
"The kid inside me can finally start letting go-but not without letting everyone know about the monster who hid among us, among the community."
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