[CT] Firefighter Leddy: "I'm sick of being a victim. It's about time I go on the offense"

...[Firefighter Brian] Leddy's parents, James and Joanne Leddy, were friends with [Howard] Raccio and he was like an "uncle" figure, according to court documents. Brian Leddy said he's had a hard time dealing with the emotions connected to being abused...

HAMDEN FIREFIGHTER TALKS OPENLY ABOUT ALLEGED ABUSE
New Haven Register, CT - 2 hours ago
By Ann DeMatteo adematteo@nhregister.com
November 16, 2008
[Excerpts] The rage was tearing Brian Leddy apart. He attacked others with his fists, drank for hours on end and got arrested for drunken driving. The anger came from deep within, where he kept memories of how a trusted male family friend repeatedly molested him. Over time, he was able to deal with his feelings, marry and become a Hamden firefighter. Then his twins were born in 2003. It was time to confront his emotions and the man he said abused him. "This was a family friend and no one had any idea until I told them four years ago," said Leddy, 36. He's urging parents to watch their kids. Even though kids can fabricate, he implores parents not to brush off certain behaviors that may be linked to sexual abuse. "Instead, be conscious of who your kids are around. Sometimes friends can do this," he said. Leddy filed a civil lawsuit against Howard Raccio of Hamden, the man Leddy said sexually molested him between 1981 and 1989. New Haven Superior Court Judge Thomas J. Corradino filed a memorandum of decision earlier this year that states: "... court has found that Raccio committed the acts," and "Leddy testified truthfully as to the molestation at the hands of Raccio." But the ruling is not a finding of criminal guilt and Raccio has never been charged with a crime related to the allegations. Raccio vehemently denies he molested Leddy and his lawyer is appealing the decision. The judge's decision reveals a tangle of conflicting emotions, such as the possibility that Leddy was out for money. The decision also details a threatening letter Leddy wrote to Raccio. "The tone of the letter is summed up in the sentence 'It's the beginning of the end for you. By the time we get done with you, you are going to wish cancer took you.'" Corradino quoted from the letter. Corradino awarded Leddy $150,000 in damages and $750 to compensate for treatment he received from a social worker. Noting the threatening letter, Corradino awarded Raccio $104.94 for an upgrade to his burglar alarm system, $8,479 for a camera surveillance system and $7,500 in damages. The damages awarded to Raccio were a result of his counterclaim of intentional emotional distress and assault, based on threats Leddy made in a letter to Raccio... Leddy's parents, James and Joanne Leddy, were friends with Raccio and he was like an "uncle" figure, according to court documents. Brian Leddy said he's had a hard time dealing with the emotions connected to being abused. He said he never repressed the incidents, but just never told anybody. "It's an everyday thing. It never goes away. The pain gets less and less over the years, but it's always in your mind," he said... Leddy contacted Raccio's relative and told her about the alleged abuse. He then revealed the incidents to his parents. He then wrote the threatening, anonymous letter to Raccio. Leddy said he has been seeing a psychologist on and off. His marriage has disintegrated and he is recently divorced. He has 5-year-old twins with his ex-wife. The court said he was entitled to recover from the emotional upset "caused by the way the abuse clouded his present memories of his own childhood." "I'm dealing with things finally. I'm not embarrassed anymore. I just want him to die knowing he didn't get away with something," Leddy said. "I'm sick of being a victim. It's about time I go on the offense"... [Full article here]