Jill Duggar & husband Derick break silence on disgraced brother Josh’s prison sentencing in heartbreaking statement
JILL Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard have released a statement following Josh Duggar's prison sentencing.
The father of seven was sentenced to 151 months, or 12 years, in prison after being found guilty of possessing and receiving child pornography months prior.
In a post on their , the couple released a lengthy statement addressing the news.
The post began: "Yesterday we learned that Josh was given a 151 month sentence in federal prison for his crime of CSAM.
"The last several weeks and months have been difficult emotionally. Yesterday was another one of those hard days. We are neither rejoicing nor disappointed by the sentence, but we are thankful it’s finally over."
The couple went on: "The Bible clearly states that God effects justice and vengeance through the governing authorities. Though some believe Josh should have received a greater sentence and still fewer believe he should have received a lighter sentence, God has carried out his vengeance today for his unspeakable criminal activity."
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The scathing blog post went on, with Jill and Derick writing: "Until now, he has yet to be held accountable to the extent necessary to cause change in his dangerous pattern of behavior.
"It is unfortunate, but it seems that it may take spending over a decade in federal prison, and still more on probation, for Josh to have any potential for rehabilitation to the point he can safely live in society again.
"Hopefully, Josh can actually begin to get treatment and begin to work toward a lifestyle where he is less likely to reoffend."
The message concluded: If for nothing else, the notoriety of this case has hopefully contributed to the deterrence of potential offenders and will help protect children by decreasing the demand for CSAM. We continue to love Josh and his family and will be there for them however we can."
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JOSH'S HEARING
On Wednesday, Josh returned to court once again, this time to find out how long he would spend behind bars.
He was found guilty of possessing and receiving child pornography in December 2021.
In court, Josh's legal team sought leniency from the judge, pleading for a 60-month sentence.
Instead, he was sentenced to more than 12 years behind bars and two decades of probation once he's released.
The reality star was also ordered to pay more than $50,000 in fines.
He will be barred from unsupervised visits with minors, including his own children, and cannot own a computer or electronic device capable of downloading pornography or accessing the internet.
Any such device must be run by his probation officer and must have monitoring software on it.
Josh cannot obtain a medical marijuana card, will be subject to random searches, and will have to submit to polygraph testing at his probation officer's discretion.
While he read his decision, the judge called Josh's crimes "the sickest of the sick."
ANNA'S FURY
Josh's wife Anna Duggar was among the family members present in court on Wednesday to support Josh.
The Sun exclusively obtained photos and video of Anna as she fled the courtroom.
She was wearing a black mask and blue dress.
Anna appeared sullen, fighting back emotion as she made her way out of the courthouse.
VICTIM'S MESSAGE
During the hearing, prosecutors say they believed it was “important” for them to “highlight the pain his predation caused in the words of his victims.”
The court papers read: “As the parent of one of the victims depicted in the CSAM the defendant downloaded explained, her daughter became an 'anxious and fretful shadow of her former self' after being sexually abused.
“And when addressing the harm caused by offenders like Duggar, who traffic in images depicting the worst moments of her daughter’s life, she wrote: ‘I can find no words to express the fury I feel at those who participate in this evil, or my scorn for any attempt to minimize the responsibility by feeble claims that the crime was ‘victimless.’
“‘My daughter is a real person. She was horribly victimized to provide this source of 'entertainment.' She is exploited anew each and every time an image of her suffering is copied, traded or sold. While the crime is clearly conscienceless, it is hardly ‘victim-less.’
The mother asked her daughter what she wanted most from the judge.
Her request was, according to the court papers: “‘Please, don’t let them pretend no-one’s getting hurt!’”
The victim said of Josh: “‘Don’t you know no one should do that to a little girl! Don’t you know it hurts!’”
The court documents continued: “As the mother of a child victimized by this crime, I would ask that the court take into consideration the damage done by this heartless crime to my daughter and others like her (including those children who still wait for someone to rescue them from their exploitation, and have no-one here today to speak for them) and impose a sentence that takes into account the full impact of the crime on the victims.”
The prosecution continued in their argument: “Those are the words of just one parent of just one victim. There are many more victims of Duggar’s crimes, all of whom were subjected to extreme and unimaginable instances of sexual abuse and violence.
“Some of the victims depicted in the CSAM he downloaded and possessed, like the victim described above, have been identified and rescued. Others have not, and the pain and trauma they have experienced as a result of Duggar’s conduct will go unvoiced at the sentencing hearing.”
JOSH'S PAST
During the sentencing hearing, the government also brought up the fact that Josh molested minor females in the family home when he was a teenager.
Court papers noted: “This Court is now presented with an offender who has a history of sexually abusing minors, who has not received any treatment or therapy for this conduct to speak of, who appears unlikely to ever seek out or meaningfully participate in treatment or therapy to address this conduct, and who continues to deny any responsibility for his past or present crimes.
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“There is simply no indication that Duggar will ever take the steps necessary to change this pattern of behavior and address his predilection for minor females.
“Given these circumstances, this Court should be particularly mindful in crafting its sentence of the likelihood that Duggar reoffends upon his release from incarceration and what his reoffending conduct will entail.”
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