Beau Biden DEFENDS the judge who only gave a du Pont heir probation after admitting to sexually assaulting his three-year-old daughter

Delaware Attorney General Biden has written a letter supporting the judge who made a controversial call

Robert Richards, great grandson of chemical baron Irenee du Pont, was charged with fourth-degree rape of his young daughter but was spared jail



Judge Jan Jurden said that Roberts, 48, 'would not fare well' in prison

Biden has now said that she made the right decision because it would be difficult to find Roberts guilty in trial because of the 'weakness' of the case



Shocking details about the offense and an alleged assault on his infant son have emerged in a lawsuit brought about by his ex-wife Tracy

Richards is an unemployed heir living off his multi-million dollar trust fund

Beau Biden has defended the judge who decided to let an heir to the du Pont family agree to a plea deal after being charged with sexually abusing his young daughter.

Biden, the Vice President's son who is in his second term as Delaware Attorney General, wrote a letter supporting Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden and her decision to allow Robert H. Richards IV to admit to fourth degree rape and register as a sex offender but not serve any time.

Her decision prompted outrage after she supported the move by writing that the heir, who just turned 48 yesterday, 'would not fare well' in prison.

Wading in controversy: Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden (pictured here in February 2013) has written a letter defending the plea deal offered to a wealthy heir who sexually assaulted his young daughter

'This was not a strong case, and a loss at trial was a distinct possibility,' Biden wrote in his letter to The News Journal.



'In recognition of the weakness of the case, the assigned prosecutor offered a plea and sentence recommendation that guaranteed the defendant would be required to register as a sex offender, participate in court-ordered sex offender rehabilitation therapy and to have no contact with the victim and any other child under the age of 16.

Support: Biden wrote a letter defending the decision handed down by Judge Jan Jurden (pictured)

'A loss at trial would have rendered any of these restrictions impossible.'

The ruling was made in 2009 but the case came back to the forefront when Richards' ex-wife Tracy filed a lawsuit to seek damages.

In the suit, she detailed the how Richards allegedly sexually assaulted their daughter four times over the course of nearly two years from the time the girl was 3-years-old.

In her lawsuit, Tracy charges that he penetrated his daughter with his fingers while masturbating, and subsequently also assaulted his toddler son as well.

It has not been revealed how much compensation Tracy Richards is seeking from her ex, who is unemployed and living off his trust fund.

He is the great-grandson of Irenee du Pont, the patriarch in the family of chemical barons.



On Sunday, it was revealed that Judge Jurden originally sentenced Richards to spend eight years behind bars but then substituted the hard time for probation and the other stipulations.

Judge Jurden was issued a security detail when activists started threatening her over the case.



Biden argued that in spite of her controversial ruling, the judge 'exercised sound discretion based solely on the merits of the case before her.'

Horrific: Robert Richards IV (left) accepted a plea deal over sexually abusing his daughter when she was 3-years-old, but his ex wife Tracy (right) has now accused him of also sexually assaulting their son



'The defendant did not make a statement to police, although he made an ambiguous apology to the victim's mother. A conviction would have required 12 jurors to find unanimously, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the crime had occurred,' Biden wrote.

Richards has never faced any charges relating to the alleged abuse of his son, but is currently on probation for the abuse against his daughter, who is now 11.

The lawsuit claims that he entered her bedroom at night while she slept and penetrated her with his fingers while masturbating, said the lawsuit, which includes documents from the criminal case.

Abuse of the children occurred at both of Richards' homes, including the 5,800-square-foot Greenville, Delaware mansion that he paid $1.8million for.

Abuse of the children occurred at both of Richards' homes, including the 5,800-square-foot Greenville mansion that he paid $1.8 million for, pictured

Family name: Robert Richards IV (right) is the unemployed great-grandson of Irenee du Pont (left), the patriarch in the family of chemical barons

Richards, who is 6'4 and about 250 pounds, told the girl 'to keep what he had done to her a secret,' but in October 2007 she told her grandmother, who informed Tracy Richards, the lawsuit said.

The girl was taken to her pediatrician, whom she told about the abuse, and New Castle County police arrested him that December.

The proven abuse of his daughter and alleged assault of his son has caused his children 'long-term injuries,' the lawsuit filed Tuesday said, perhaps including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual dysfunction and shame.

His daughter also has 'repressed memories of some instances of the abuse she suffered,' and if the son was abused, the same is true with him, the suit said.

With medical treatment, the lawsuit said, those memories will likely 'begin to surface.'