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women as rape victims have a hard enough time as it is just being believed.

 

New York woman whose testimony at  age 9 jailed father for rape now says she lied

Chaneya Kelly, now  24, says she was coerced by her mother to lie about the charges against her  father in 1997.

Now nearly 16 years later Kelly reveals that her mother  allegedly threatened to beat her if she refused to accuse him of the  crimes.

 

Nearly 16 years after a New York man was jailed for raping his 9-year-old  daughter, that victim has publicly come forward admitting that she lied all  along.

 

Chaneya Kelly, now 24, says the graphic stories she told about her father  that sentenced him to 20-to-40 years in prison were never true.

 

"I'm 24 years old and I made this mistake when I was 9 years old," she told  NBC, "but it's never too late to try and right your  wrong."

 

It was October, 1997 when Chaneya says her mother, a former drug abuser and  occasional prostitute for drug money, pulled her aside while she was leaving  their bathroom in Newburgh.

"She repeatedly asked me, has my dad touched me," recalled Chaneya. "I was  like, 'What do you mean, did he touch me?' And she was like, 'Did he touch you  in your no-no spot?' And I would repeatedly say no."

 

Her father, Daryl Kelly, a Navy veteran and married father of five, had been  trying to kick a drug habit himself at the time but never harmed her in any way,  she'd later say.

 

But her mother, not hearing what she wanted, became demanding, until  allegedly threatening her: "If you don't tell me the answer that I want to hear,  I'm going to beat you."

 

Daryl Kelly, a father of five, is still in jail despite the fact that his daughter said she lied about the horrific accusations against him.

Daryl Kelly, a father of five, is  still in jail despite the fact that his daughter said she lied about the  horrific accusations against him.

The 9-year-old succumbed to her threats, allowing her mother to call the  police and take down her daughter's statements, after allegedly going over  exactly what her father had allegedly done to her.

 

In a videotape capturing her recantation a few years later, she would admit  that she learned words like "*****" and "******" from the prosecution team. She  learned how sex worked from ****ography she found hidden under her parents'  bed.

 

When Daryl Kelly was taken down to the police station on October 29, 1997,  police confronted him with accusations of the heinous crime, while falsely  claiming to have found his semen on his daughter's clothes and body.

 

Terrified, he denied having ever touched his daughter and pinned any blame  on his wife.

 

"My wife is doing drugs and alcohol. Maybe she's setting me up," he said,  according to the police report obtained by NBC.

 

Despite a lack of any forensic evidence supporting Chaneya's claims of  sexual abuse, a jury found that her story, which matched her mother's, was  enough to convict him.

Not only was he sentenced to 20-to-40 years in prison but he was barred from  having any contact with his children as well.

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A few years later Chaneya admitted what she had done to her grandmother who recorded her recant, seen here, but it was determined to appear 'coerced,' according to a judge.

NBC News

A few years later Chaneya admitted  what she had done to her grandmother who recorded her recant, seen here, but it  was determined to appear 'coerced,' according to a judge.

Adding to the 9-year-old's trauma, she was removed from her mother's custody  by authorities, citing her drug abuse.

 

It took long years of guilt to eventually drive Chaneya forward, admitting  what she had done to her grandmother, who videotaped her recant.

 

Her mother, having sobered up over the years, signed an affidavit admitting  to having threatened her daughter to lie as well.

 

Today, Charade Kelly says she doesn't know why she made her daughter lie  about her father.

"I have no idea, I really don't," she told NBC.

 

She instead blames it on a three-day drug binge. "I was really deep in the  grip of my addiction," she said.

The mother and daughter's testimony weren't enough for a judge, however, who  said the statements offered seemed "coerced" and denied overturning his  conviction.

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Her mother Charade, pictured, acknowledges threatening her 9-year-old daughter with a belt if she did not say that her father raped her. She doesn't know why she did it, only blames it on her drug use.

NBC News

Her mother Charade, pictured,  acknowledges threatening her 9-year-old daughter with a belt if she did not say  that her father raped her. She doesn't know why she did it, only blames it on  her drug use.

Since then Daryl Kelly has filed multiple appeals that have been denied.

After Chaneya was permitted to visit her father in prison at the age of 16,  she says she's been fortunate enough to renew their relationship after he  accepted her apology.

 

A photo of the daughter's visit to New York's Green Haven Correctional  Facility in January shows the pair together, Daryl Kelly holding Chaneya's  newborn son, Julian.

 

Recalling the first time she was able to see him, she says he told her that  he still loves her dearly.

"The first thing my dad did was that he hugged me and he told me that he  loved me and … that he doesn't blame me for anything," Chaneya recalled. "It was  priceless to me."

State prosecutors are said to be currently reviewing his case.

 

Daryl Kelly says that even if he serves out his sentence he won't be  vindicated unless cleared of wrong-doing.

 

"It's not just for me," he told NBC, "It's for my daughter as well."

ngolgowski@nydailynews.com

On a mobile device? Watch the video here

 
 http://www.nydailynews.com/new...ed-article-1.1430957
 

 

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I have a feeling it probably happens a lot more than anyone knows. One thing is for sure though. Once it does happen to you, your life is pretty much never going to be the same again. Even if you do manage to get out of prison and get your name cleared, the damage is already done. 

 

She should definitely be prosecuted for her crimes now. 

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