Piano instructor to Hollywood youngsters who fled nation sentenced to 9 years for intercourse abuse | EUROtoday

A former Los Angeles piano instructor to Hollywood kids was sentenced Friday to 9 years and 4 months in state jail after a jury discovered him responsible of sexually abusing a longtime scholar, ending a authorized saga that spanned practically a decade.

John Kaleel, 69, made headlines in October when he fled to his native Australia the identical day a jury convicted him on 5 counts of sexual abuse. After fleeing to Australia, he was arrested by US authorities and extradited to LA in January to face sentencing.

“He has now learned the hard way that you can run, but you cannot hide, a lesson he can contemplate while hopefully serving years of state prison,” LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman mentioned on the time of his return.

Authorities described the case as a years-long sample of betrayal by a person who had as soon as been considered a trusted teacher. Kaleel, a longtime lawful everlasting resident of the US, taught non-public piano classes in LA for greater than 25 years and labored with a high-profile clientele.

His now-defunct web site featured testimonials claiming to be from the youngsters of well-known leisure figures, together with the creators of “Orange Is the New Black,” “Mad Men,” and “Dexter’s Laboratory,” in accordance with the Los Angeles Times. However, spokespeople for these creators informed the outlet that that they had not endorsed Kaleel or permitted him to make use of any such feedback.

Prosecutors mentioned the abuse started in 2011, when Kaleel’s scholar was simply 13, and allegedly continued till 2013. The sufferer got here ahead in 2015, reporting Kaleel’s years-long sample of inappropriate conduct to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

The boy claimed that when he was 12, Kaleel requested him to measure his penis, and later satisfied him that they might masturbate over FaceTime, in accordance with courtroom data, the LA Times reviews. In September 2013, Kaleel invited the then-15-year-old over to smoke marijuana, after which they allegedly had oral intercourse, in accordance with the sufferer.

Kaleel initially pleaded no contest to sexual abuse costs in 2016, looking for a lighter jail sentence. After the plea, he was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, however he efficiently appealed a deportation order. He additionally satisfied a LA County choose to throw out the plea, arguing that he had not been correctly knowledgeable about its impression on his immigration standing.

Following that call, the district legal professional’s workplace retried the case. In October, a jury convicted Kaleel of 4 felony counts of committing a lewd act on a baby aged 14 or 15 and one felony rely of committing a lewd act on a baby underneath 14, leading to Friday’s sentencing.

In addition to his jail time period, Kaleel should register as a intercourse offender and adjust to a protecting order that can stay in impact for no less than a decade.

“Our hearts remain with the victim who endured years of abuse by someone he trusted,” Hochman mentioned in an announcement in January. “Thank you to my office’s prosecutors, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and our federal and Australian law enforcement partners who came together to ensure that Mr. Kaleel was brought back to Los Angeles to be sentenced for the crimes of which the jury convicted him.”

Kaleel’s lawyer, Kate Hardie, informed The Independent on Saturday that she didn’t signify him at his sentencing. She had beforehand informed the LA Times that she final noticed Kaleel on October 7, simply earlier than the jury returned its verdict, and had no contact with him since.