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Woman who accused ex-MTC leader of sex assault releases statement

Posted at 10:14 AM, Mar 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-24 16:25:10-04

SALT LAKE CITY — The woman at the center of an audio recording accusing the former leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Missionary Training Center of rape has purportedly released a statement.

The woman’s comments, posted on the MormonLeaks website on Saturday, said she did not consent to the recording of her confrontation with ex-MTC president Joseph Bishop being leaked — but she was also not upset with them, either.

“It is my belief that they were concerned about ALL of the victims that may become forgotten if my story was silenced by a settlement and non-disclosure agreement. I cannot fault them for that. Having this story leaked has actually helped me,” she wrote. “I was struggling with the settlement. Part of me wanted to take it and part of me didn’t. They made it easy for me. I didn’t have to choose.”

The woman said she does not feel the leak of the recording is re-victimizing her. She also wrote she is neither “heroic or brave,” as some have said.

“I interviewed my rapist because I was pissed off. The church told me I wasn’t entitled to know what action, if any, had been taken in my reporting his raping me to several church leaders for 30 years. I was fed up. It was neither brave nor heroic,” she wrote. “Part of me wanted this to go away quietly and a bigger part of me wanted to scream from the top of the mountain what he did to me. Now I get to scream!”

The woman said she would reveal her identity when she files a lawsuit. FOX 13 previously reported the woman’s attorney had said she would sue Bishop and the LDS Church.

Bishop’s family has said he not only denies the accusations, but has also questioned the credibility of his accuser. On Friday, the LDS Church called on its ecclesiastical leaders to do more to address abuse accusations and acknowledged a second potential victim of Bishop.