Grandmother says systemic failures let boys' abuse continue for years: 'Nothing was done'
A grandmother says she finally feels the system did right by her grandsons after separate judges in Chesterfield County sentenced the boys' father and his fiancée to decades in prison for abusing them.
The boys' father, Bhalmiki Maharaj, is a former Henrico police officer. His fiancée, Barbara Paul, is a former Henrico teacher.
Angela Fountain said the verdicts brought relief and also raised painful questions about why it took so long.
"They're free of this now. It's no longer a weight that's holding over them," Fountain said.
But Fountain believes accountability came years too late.
During the sentencing hearing, she learned that multiple reports had been made by school counselors to Child Protective Services (CPS) about the boys over several years.
"Somebody dropped the ball on my boys and it continued for seven years, eight years. What happened?" Fountain asked.
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