Attorney: Mentally Disabled Bridgeport Students Were Pushed Into Sex Act
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- An attorney for a mentally disabled 19-year-old man charged with sexually assaulting another mentally disabled student in a school restroom said both were led into the situation by "able-minded'' students for their own amusement.
Defense attorney Mark Phillips said Patrick Nolan, of Bridgeport, is "profoundly'' disabled, the Connecticut Post reported. Nolan was released to his parents after a brief court hearing Thursday.
Phillips said several unidentified students got the disabled teens into a bathroom at Warren Harding High School, at 1734 Central Ave. in Bridgeport, last August. The students egged the disabled teens on and filmed the encounter, Phillips said.
Police began investigating after being contacted recently by the mother of the 16-year-old male victim.
Phillips said the special education students weren't supposed to be in the bathroom unsupervised.
Interim School Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz declined to comment. She has said the district has made recommendations about increasing supervision of student bathrooms.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)