Man halts sentencing in Montgomery County Court by announcing desire to withdraw guilty plea
As Montgomery County Courts prepared to sentence a Delaware County man for the rape of a 13-year-old girl who was “in his company” at an Upper Providence Township (Montgomery County) location, the man changed his mind. Instead of sticking to his “previously admitted” act, he said he’d had a change of heart and told the judge he wants to withdraw his guilty plea.
Barry Cunningham, 44, of the 1100 block of East Eighth Street, Eddystone, threw the courts last week when he expressed to the judge his wishes. He now wants to fight the charges.
According to reports, Cunningham’s court-appointed lawyer, George M. Griffith Jr., who’d previously negotiated his plea agreement, asked Senior Judge Thomas C. Branca for permission to withdraw as Cunningham’s representation. Griffith told the judge that Cunningham wanted to take a defense position he could not “ethically adopt,” according to reports.
Branca granted Griffith’s request, giving Cunningham 45 days to retain new counsel. In August 2025, Cunningham had pleaded guilty to charges of rape and endagingering the welfare of a child in connection to a July 3, 2024 incident. The incident allegedly occurred at a home on Campus Drive in Montgomery County’s Upper Providence Township, where the victim resided.
For the full story on the case and its latest developments, read more information in The Mercury’s account here.
