Christine Haveford
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles bravely revealed last week that she was one of the many victims of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.
The 20-year-old has now offered her support to her fellow victims and thanked the judge who oversaw the sentencing.
Biles did not attend the sentencing of Nassar, who was convicted of abusing 156 young women, including Biles.
The athlete instead took to social media to send her love to her fellow accusers who have faced Nassar in court in a highly emotional week of hearings.
Biles heaped praise on Judge Rosemarie Aquilina for her work overseeing the emotionally charged case.
‘To Judge Aquilina: Thank you, you are my hero & Shout out to all of the survivors for being so brave & speaking like the queens that you are while looking at that monster.’
‘He will no longer have the power to steal our happiness or joy. I stand with every one of you’, Biles tweeted.
The gymnast shared a yellow heart emoji and a photo of Judge Aquilina with a quote from one of her many speeches to Nassar’s victims. ‘Leave your pain here. Go out and do your magnificent things,’ it says.
Earlier this month, the four-time Olympic champion revealed she was assaulted by Nassar.
‘Most of you know me as a happy, giggly, and energetic girl. But lately… I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams.’
‘I am not afraid to tell my story anymore. I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar,’ she wrote on Twitter on January 15.
Nassar was sentenced on Wednesday to 175 years in jail after admitting molesting some of the United States’ top gymnasts for years.
Judge Aquilina told him ‘I just signed your death warrant’ after a remarkable seven-day hearing in which scores of victims were able to confront him face to face in a Michigan courtroom.
Aquilina said Nassar’s ‘decision to assault was precise, calculated, manipulative, devious, despicable’.
‘It is my honor and privilege to sentence you. You do not deserve to walk outside a prison ever again.’
‘You have done nothing to control those urges and anywhere you walk, destruction will occur to those most vulnerable,’ Aquilina said.
Meanwhile Judge Aquilina has been highly lauded and praised for the way she handled the difficult case.
She was a mother of two when she became pregnant again at 42.
A decade later she missed being a mom and used a sperm bank to get pregnant with twins Michael and Marissa, who are now 8.
Speaking about her life as a fifty-something single mom she told legalnews.com: ‘I don’t see it much differently from being married because women take on so much of the role of taking care of the children, the house, the doctor appointments, the illnesses, and all that.’
‘When I was married, I had a good husband, but he wasn’t involved in doing those things with me.’
‘So I really don’t notice any difference. I’m busy. But I’m happy. I can’t imagine a life without kids around me.’
‘I love the energy kids bring to your life—at any age.’
As if she doesn’t have enough accomplishments under her belt, the judge is also a published author.
She is behind two fictional thrillers Feel No Evil published in August 2003 and Triple Cross Killer in December 2017.
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