Virginia man gets 2 life sentences for raping disabled women

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – A former employee of a Virginia non-profit for disabled individuals has been given two life terms in prison for raping and impregnating women with mental disabilities.

Fairfax County Judge Bruce D. White handed down the maximum sentences Friday for 62-year-old Bernard Betts-King, who pleaded guilty in July.

Both women attended day programs at the community centre where Betts-King worked as a behavioural technician.

The Washington Post reports doctors learned of the rapes after discovering during routine medical exams last year that each woman was five months pregnant.

Prosecutors said neither woman comprehended what it meant to be pregnant and had trouble communicating with doctors.

Their families are now raising the children, whose DNA matched the defendant.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com