A man accused of raping an Athens woman has been granted two motions in his case currently pending at the Athens County Court of Common Pleas: access to a transcript of grand jury proceedings and the victim’s mental health records.
Shannon Williams was indicted Sept. 27, 2012, for rape and the theft of the victim’s Electronic Benefit Transfer debit card — felonies of the first degree and of the fifth degree, respectively.
His attorney, Assistant State Public Defender Douglas Francis, filed for access to the victim’s mental health records Aug. 13.
In a court document detailing the motion, Judge George P. McCarthy wrote that the defense’s plan was to prove the sex was consensual per the victim’s mental health at the time.
“The Defense firmly believes that the mental health of (the victim) is supremely important in this case where the case will be decided on the credibility of the witnesses,” McCarthy wrote.
The Post does not print the names of victims of rape.
The court will obtain and inspect the woman’s mental health records to judge whether they contain material relevant to the case. That motion was granted Sept. 4.
Williams also filed for access to transcripts of the grand jury proceedings of the case in response to hearsay that he was labeled a “registered sex offender” during the court proceedings.
Francis, the public defender, said the label is a “misleading and… prejudicial statement.”
“In his motion, Defendant asserts that ‘Defendant has been informed from a number of people that law enforcement is telling people he is a registered sex offender,’ ” McCarthy wrote in a document detailing the motion. “Defendant believes that the grand jury would not have found probable cause to issue the current indictment if this false and misleading statement was not made to the grand jury.”
On Friday, Williams’ motion was granted in part, and his defense will be receiving transcripts from the grand jury proceedings within the next 30 days.
The victim’s testimony, however, will not be transcribed.
Williams will appear in court Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. for a jury trial.
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@Branden_Lab
