Lawyers defending Victor Malavet, a man facing charges of raping a teenage girl at a youth facility in New Hampshire, attempted to challenge the credibility of the accuser during the trial on Wednesday. The accuser, Natasha Maunsell, who is now 39 years old, was 15 and 16 at the time of the alleged assaults at the Youth Detention Services Unit in Concord. The defense team suggested that Maunsell had a history of lying and changing her story and accused her of concocting the allegations in pursuit of financial gain through a civil lawsuit.
Testifying for the second day at Malavet’s trial, Maunsell admitted to initially denying the sexual assault allegations when questioned in 2002, 2017, and 2019. She explained that she lied the first time out of fear of retaliation while still at the facility and lied again in subsequent years because she doubted anyone would believe her. Maunsell is one of over 1,100 former residents of youth facilities suing the state for alleged abuse spanning several decades.
The criminal trial of Malavet commenced on Monday as part of a five-year investigation into abuse allegations at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Malavet worked at a different state-run facility where children were held awaiting court decisions, distinguishing his case from the other eight men facing charges.
During questioning by defense lawyer Maya Dominguez, Maunsell acknowledged lying in the past about various matters, including falsely claiming to have a baby at age 15 and giving inconsistent statements regarding the actions of Malavet. Despite Dominguez’s attempts to paint Maunsell as untruthful concerning money received from her civil case, Maunsell clarified discrepancies regarding expenditures on a Mustang and the type of Audi car she owned.
The article also mentions a civil case where David Meehan was awarded $38 million after a jury found him to be a victim of abuse at a youth center in the 1990s, although the verdict is under review. The juxtaposition of the state attorney general’s office prosecuting those accused of offenses while also defending the state highlights the complexities of these legal proceedings.