ST. LOUIS — The man accused of assaulting and stalking two children in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood knows the importance of feeling safe in one’s own community because he fled his own country to escape the Taliban, according to his attorney.
That man, Haji Gul Osmani, is also eager to prove he is innocent of the allegations against him, according to his attorney Ellsworth Ware.
Ware also told Judge Rochelle Woodiest during a hearing Tuesday that his client’s brother would sponsor him and act as his “caretaker and jailer,” if the judge allowed Osmani to be released from isolation at the City Justice Center. He said family members have agreed to surrender their passports to ensure he is not a flight risk, and that he is a married father of four children -- the youngest of which is 1 year old.
“The only way to resolve this and show his innocence is to be here,” Ware told Judge Rochelle Woodiest.
Ware continued: "He is well aware of the need for children to feel safe among adults, particularly their parents. He came to America for safety, opportunity and a new a new chance at a life he would not be given due to the Taliban, so he knows the importance of safety."
Ultimately, Woodiest ordered Osmani to remain jailed without bond.
“There is clear and convincing evidence that these are the least restrictive conditions to ensure the safety of the community,” Woodiest said.
Osmani has been jailed since his arrest in July for allegedly assaulting two children he stalked in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood.
One victim, who is younger than 14, escaped from Osmani and told police he was put in a headlock near Francis Park.
Osmani is accused of sexually assaulting the second victim, a 6-year-old boy, near a trash bin in the alley near his home in the same neighborhood a week later.
Delays in finding a certified interpreter delayed Osmani’s first detention hearing for three weeks. Offenders are entitled to two detention hearings following an arrest if they’re held without bond.
On Aug. 21, a judge ordered that Osmani remain behind bars.
On Tuesday, Chief Trial Assistant Circuit Attorney Marvin Teer read impact statements from the victim’s families to the judge.
The guardian of the younger victim told the court her son asked if Osmani had children and if they would suffer should their father be kept “locked up.”
The victim told his mother he hopes Osmani can be kept behind bars for 100 Christmases.
Osmani next appearance is scheduled for Sept. 27.