Saturday, May 7, 2005

By Ben Conery

WATERBURY -- Far from repentant, a former Waterbury man convicted of raping his wife hurled accusations at the victim, prosecutors and the justice system during his sentencing Friday.

"I followed the moral, legal law, but still here I stand," said William B. Coleman, 44, of Newport.

Vowing that he will one day prove his innocence, Coleman received a 15-year prison sentence, suspended after he serves eight years, from Judge William Cremins on Friday in Waterbury Superior Court. A jury convicted Coleman, 44, in February of raping his wife during 2002.

Before delivering the sentence, Cremins said Coleman committed a vicious crime against the mother of his two children, age 6 and 8. "Home and family should be the refuge," Cremins said, "not a place to fear."

The victim, whom the Republican-American is not identifying because she is the victim of sexual assault, addressed the court in a clear, unwavering voice. She said Coleman is a narcissist who was a father "in name only" to her two sons.

"We are better off without him in our lives, always have been and we're moving on without him," she said.

She said Coleman made her a prisoner in her own home and she still lives in fear. "Mr. Coleman has threatened to kill me and I do believe he will do that to me one day," she said.

She and Coleman were divorced last August after a nine-year marriage. The former couple are immigrants from Great Britain.

The jury convicted Coleman of sexual assault in a spousal relationship, unlawful restraint, breach of peace, second-degree threatening and sixth-degree larceny. Coleman faced 30 years in prison.

The victim asked that he receive the maximum, or "a lot of time." Assistant state's attorney Cynthia Serafini, who prosecuted the case, asked that Coleman receive not less than 15 years in prison. She said he continues to victimize his former wife with his accusations against her.

Wearing a tan two-piece prison uniform while sitting at the defense table with his hands cuffed in front of him, Coleman's remarks lasted more than a half hour.

Coleman told Cremins a crime had been committed, but not by him. His former wife lied to the police and perjured herself, he said, also accusing his wife of having an affair and thereby violating the 10 Commandments.

The victim "will have her own demons to deal with for what she's done to our family, especially to our boys in the years to come," Coleman said. He said his former wife's accusations were a custody ploy and suggested such situations are widespread.

Coleman maintained he should never had been prosecuted. He suggested prosecutors were not interested in justice, but only concerned with avoiding a lawsuit he could bring against them for falsely charging him.

"The system does not work," he said. "It fails the innocent and, in cases like this, it fails the children."

Coleman asked Cremins to give him a suspended sentence or probation so he could remain free while working to prove his innocence. He vowed to fight for others in similar circumstances. His lawyer, Michael Gannon, asked Cremins not to punish Coleman because of his lack of remorse. "I truly believe an injustice has been done in this case," Gannon said. "I don't say that lightly."

Quoting from the pre-sentencing investigation report, Gannon called the case, "a never-ending quest of he-said, she said."

Without any forensic evidence, the victim's testimony proved crucial. Serafini has noted the testimony of one person is sufficient for a jury to convict a defendant.