Dale Akiki was born with Noonan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which left him with a concave chest, club feet, drooping eyelids and ears.
She was brought in to prosecute at the Goodalls' insistence after experienced child abuse prosecutors Harry Elias and Sally Penso found no grounds to charge Akiki with any crimes, citing the coercive investigation and the suggestive preparation and interrogation of children used by parents and therapists in the case.
[8] He was represented by Deputy Public Defenders Kate Coyne and Sue Clemens[8] who received numerous awards and accolades for their groundbreaking defense.
This case represented the first trial-level acquittal of a defendant charged with ritual abuse in the "satanic panic" of the 1980s,[citation needed] although a number of convictions were subsequently overturned on appeal.
After the trial had ended, members of the jury complained about the "overzealous prosecutors," "child sexual abuse syndrome" and "therapists on a witch-hunt",;[9] one said “it seemed like a witch hunt to me.”[6] Despite Akiki's acquittal, some of the parents involved remained convinced that he was guilty.