text: I understand that physical evidence is seldom available in cases involving underage victims, and especially in very old cases.  I also understand that the very nature of these crimes means that there are very seldom witnesses to the crime itself.  Minimally, though, there ought to be witnesses to the circumstances in which an accuser alleges that the crime took place. Surely the fact that the religion teacher in this case not only failed to corroborate but actually contradicted the accuser's assertions about the circumstances should cause us to hesitate.