BACK-to-BACK LIFE SENTENCES FOR CHILD RAPIST

Freddie Clark Guilty of Molesting Girlfriend's Daughters-3 and 4-While Mother at Work

Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. announces the conviction of 25-year-old Freddie C. Clark on 5 counts in the rape and child molestation of his girlfriend's 3 and 4-year-old daughters. Wednesday, a Fulton County Superior Court jury returned verdicts of guilty to one count of rape, 2 counts of aggravated sexual battery and 2 counts of child molestation. Immediately following the verdicts, Judge Michael Johnson sentenced Clark to two consecutive life sentences.

In November and December of 2006, Clark, the children and their mother lived in his mother's southwest Atlanta home. The girls were left in his care while their mother worked the night shift at a local restaurant. In January, the mother broke up with the defendant and moved in with her friend, the children's godmother. Police say the 4-year-old told the godmother, "Daddy put his private part in my private part." The younger daughter later told her mother, "Daddy touched my private part." She alerted the police.

In taped forensic interviews conducted by the Georgia Center for Children, both little girls gave vivid accounts of the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of the defendant. Clark, who is not biologically related to the children, was convicted of raping the 4-year-old who contracted a sexually-transmitted disease as a result of the abuse.

At trial, Senior Assistant District Attorneys Michael Herskowitz and Sally Butler called the victims, now 5 and 4, to testify. Neither traumatized victim could complete her testimony because each was in tears. But the forensic interviews convinced jurors the defendant had sexually abused these children.

The case was investigated by Atlanta Police Department Investigator C. Hampton and Cindy Williamson of the Fulton DA's Investigative Unit. Natalie Head of the DA's Victim-Witness Program provided assistance to the children and other members of the family.

CONTACT: Lyn Vaughn, 404.730.6860 (office); 770.597.6963 (cell); lyn.vaughn@co.fulton.ga.us