Mom Made Daughter Recant Sex Abuse Claims Against Dad: Delco DA

BROOKHAVEN, PA — A Delaware County woman has been charged with witness intimidation after authorities said she tried to get her daughter to recant allegations of sexual abuse against her husband, the girls father.

Delco District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Kathleen Cronin, 69, of Brookhaven, has been charged with witness intimidation, a felony, as a result of her efforts to get her daughter to recant sexual abuse charges against her husband.

In January 2019 a female victim contacted the Brookhaven Police Department and reported that she had been sexually assaulted for many years by her father, David Cronin, the DA's office said.

According to the victim, the abuse began when she was twelve years old, according to the DA's office.

Criminal Investigation Detective Michael Palmer investigated the allegations, and David Cronin was subsequently arrested and charged with multiple sexual assault offenses. He is in the George W. Hill Correctional Facility awaiting trial.

Prior to making allegations against her father, the victim relied upon her parents for shelter,
transportation, and health care.

Following her allegations, she struggled to live independently.

Financial difficulties and the need for a co-signer on a lease agreement eventually led the victim
to reach out to her mother.

In late 2019 Kathleen Cronin told the victim that she wanted the victim to write a "Recanted Statement Letter," and outlined the points that she wanted her daughter to include, the DA's office said.

The victim told police that her mother instructed her to state that the police had intimidated her into giving her original statement, the DA's office said. In January 2020, the victim provided her mother with the requested document, according to the DA's office.

Kathleen Cronin then took her daughter to attorney Mike Malloy, according to the DA's office. The attorney explained to the victim that recanting her statement could result in perjury charges against the victim, the DA's office said.

The victim told Malloy that the recanted statement was not true, according to the DA's office.

In October 2020, the victim notified Assistant District Attorney Diane Horn and told her that she
had been pressured by her mother to write the recanted letter.

Kathleen Cronin was released on $150,000 unsecured bail.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 6.