Ex-Cop Admits Sexually Abusing Hundreds of Children. Confesses at Sentencing Hearing to Additional Offenses
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By KIM CAROLLO, ABC News Medical Unit
he molested hundreds of girls as he was being
sentenced in Putnam County, Fla. earlier this week.
The state's attorney's office said Paul Joseph Blair,
60, pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual
battery to a minor and received a 25-year sentence.
He committed the crimes against two girls between
the ages of 12 and 18.
In court, Blair said he molested between 200 and 300
other girls and that he's been a pedophile his entire
life.
Despite his confession, a state's attorney
spokeswoman said Blair cannot be charged based on
his words alone.
"That confession alone isn't proof. Victims have to
get matched up to that confession," said the
spokeswoman, Shannon Peters.
Peters said that investigations into other possible
crimes are ongoing.
Blair also told the judge that he has an illness that
requires an operation, but he doesn't want the
operation. He did not specify the illness, but implied
he will die without the proper treatment.
His defense attorney, Mitch Wrenn, couldn't go into
specifics because of privacy laws, but said Blair has
health issues that could cause problems for him in
the future. Wrenn said the illness was a reason why
the state's attorney's office agreed to the plea deal that
spared Blair a life sentence.
Blair is in the Putnam County jail awaiting transfer to
state prison, and the jail does not permit media
interviews with inmates.
Peters said Blair did not portray himself as a cop
during the incidents with either of the two girls, and
it was unclear if he did so during encounters with
other children.
who molested them was a law enforcement officer
could add to the trauma the victims already are
experiencing.
"They are hurt, disappointed and angry that someone
who has the training and experience of being police
would act toward them in that way," said Dr. Reid
Finlayson, assistant professor of psychiatry at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "It damages the
person even more by undermining their trust in
legitimate authority, help and support."
Reasons for Confession Vary
Wrenn said Blair's confession was a surprise to him,
and while the nature of Blair's illness is unknown,
experts said a terminal illness could be the reason he
suddenly confessed.
"Very often, it's an indicator of what we would call
narcissistic guilt. He has something to be ashamed of
before God and he wants to get off his chest before
he dies," said Dr. Harold Bursztajn, associate clinical
professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in
Boston.
Dr. Ken Robbins, director of psychiatry at Stoughton
Hospital in Stoughton, Wis., said he doesn't think
nature of his crimes, but whatever conscience he
does have may be weighing on him as he gets older.
"As he anticipates dying, he's starting to question
what he did and it's creating anxiety," he said. "And
when you have a terminal illness, people start
rewinding the tape and looking back at their lives."
The investigation continues into whether Blair
committed other crimes. While no one knows for sure,
experts say people do falsely confess.
"You also have to consider that there are other
reasons people might exaggerate having done
horrible things," said Robbins. "It may make them
infamous."
"Occasionally, people get psychotically depressed
and falsely confess. They are so depressed about
death that they would rather go ahead and be bad
than be sad," said Bursztajn.
If Blair outlives his 25-year sentence, his attorney
said he will then be involuntarily committed as
required by Florida law. That law commits sexually
violent offenders to special facilities for treatment.
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