A little girl who was just 10 years old when she was snatched from her bed, kidnapped and raped at knifepoint has bravely taken the stand at her rapist’s trial, telling the judge that he should never be allowed to go free.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen told the girl she was the “bravest child I have ever seen.”
Her father said his daughter had insisted on addressing the court during the sentencing hearing.
“The word ‘victim,’ by definition, defines my daughter,” he said.
“But she is much more than that. She is a survivor. She survived what this monster did.”
The little girl, whose identity has been sealed, was just 10 when she was taken from her bed in the suburb of Northbridge.
She was tied up, gagged and bundled into a waiting car during her terrifying ordeal.
She was raped in the car and later at a storage yard, and in a drainage tunnel.
She stood and told the court: “No one should ever have to go through that ever. So I hope he goes away forever.”
The Los Angeles Times says the girl delivered her impact statement in a “halting” voice.
Her attacker, Tobias Summers, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Police believe Tobias chose the girl’s at random for burglary, and that his accomplice was surprised when he emerged from the house with the girl.
