State: No testimony for brain-damaged girl

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A prosecutor for Hampden County, Mass., says a brain-damaged girl shouldn't testify in an abuse case against her stepfather.

In a reversal of her previous stance on the matter, Hampden County prosecutor Laurel Brandt said 14-year-old Haleigh Poutre shouldn't testify against Jason Strickland, who allegedly beat her into a coma years ago, The Boston Globe said Wednesday.

Brandt filed a court motion Tuesday asking that Poutre not be considered a potential witness, citing additional interviews with the child and medical reviews as the reason for the move.

The motion came a day before a Superior Court judge was to begin hearing arguments regarding the teenage girl's proposal in the case, the Globe reported.

Poutre emerged from her coma in 2005 after nearly being taken off life-support and has since been able to communicate in simple sentences.

Defense attorneys for Strickland hadn't opposed the proposal but had asked to be able to interview Poutre to gauge her mental competency, the Globe said.

Strickland's trial is to begin Oct. 29.