Powhatan judge still hasn’t decided if 6 girls will have to face alleged abuser in sports academy child sex abuse trial

POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A Powhatan court has still not decided if the six girls accusing their former after-school coach of sexual abuse will have to testify in front of him.

In a Thursday, Feb. 26 hearing, the defense attorney for Joseph Parker, the former owner of Fast Feet Sports Academy in Powhatan, argued that he needed access to the witnesses' psychological records to argue why the girls should testify in the courtroom with Parker. But after reviewing those records, the judge ruled to keep them sealed.

Parker is facing 18 charges, including eight counts of aggravated sexual battery of a child under 13.

The six alleged victims are girls between nine and 12, who allege Parker inappropriately touched them while they were in after-school sports programs at Fast Feet.

At an earlier hearing, the Commonwealth argued the girls shouldn't have to testify in front of Parker at trial because it could be traumatizing. Several clinicians that worked with the girls were called as witnesses, and testified that because of the alleged sexual abuse, the victims have had trouble sleeping, increased anxiety and bouts of depression. Some have been diagnosed with PTSD.

Instead, the Commonwealth said the girls should testify through closed-circuit television, from another room that would be broadcast into the court room.

On Thursday, Parker's defense said he had not been prepared to present witnesses at the previous hearing. He said he needed the girls' psychological records to prove why they should testify in court.

After reviewing the records for more than an hour, and noting that none of the records included specific details of the allegations, the judge denied the defense request and kept the records sealed.

The judge also denied a defense motion for the court to appoint a witness to refute or rebut the Commonwealth's witnesses.

The judge scheduled another hearing in March for the defense to present any evidence to argue why the girls should testify in front of Parker. That hearing is set for March 6. A jury trial has been scheduled for March 24.