Bradley Asbury's Trial for Historic Abuse Begins

The trial of Bradley Asbury, a former worker at the Sununu Youth Services Center in New Hampshire, has commenced, with him accused of holding down a teenage boy during a sexual assault by colleagues in 1997. Asbury, now 70, is facing two counts of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault, which could result in a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted. The case is part of a broader investigation initiated in 2019, which has led to multiple charges against nine former employees related to historic abuse at the facility. More than 1,100 former residents have filed lawsuits claiming abuse spanning six decades, with one civil trial recently resulting in a $38 million verdict, although this is under dispute. An earlier trial against another former employee ended in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. Asbury had previously been fired for abuse allegations but was rehired at a different facility before the incidents in question.