The elders may well have had the authority to forgive this man in the eyes of the church, but the woman is a moron if she thinks they had any authority to forgive him in the eyes of the law. Part of confession is taking responsibility for your actions. And if the wife was aware and took no action to report it to the police, she should be held responsible as well.
Y'know, we don't really HAVE a confessional, per se. the vast majority of 'sins' that we commit are personal, private, and taken to God personally. Our paths to forgiveness are also very personal, usually. The most serious of sins...like adultery or murder or child abuse or something else that does great harm to someone else? Yeah, we are supposed to go to a church leader. Not to get forgiveness, but to get advice and help on the path TO forgiveness.
The elders don't have the authority to forgive him 'in the eyes of the church,' either. Forgiveness is entirely God's province. What the 'elders' can do is help the sinner through the repentance process, and provide support. Repentance isn't instant, not with us. It IS a process, which ends with the sinner better, learning more, and not sinning any more, at least in that area. In all matters, part of repentance is, when possible, making restitution, taking responsibility and...taking the consequences. That means that if you have stolen something from a store, you have to, among other things, tell the store, make restitution, and if the store prosecutes, well....that's too bad. You do the time/pay the fine/whatever. You ALSO work through your own learning process. The point is to come out the other side better than you went into it. Repent, and GOD isn't going to give you grief....but the law might.
In something this serious, there is more damage done than the abuser can fix. It's possible to repent, I believe, but 'paying for it' in terms of jail time and inability to do it again to someone else? An incredibly important part of the process. Being forgiven in God's eyes, and in one's own so that one can feel guiltless again is wonderful, but you can't DO that if you have left unpaid for damage behind you, can you?
.....and confessing to a church leader in the hope that one can dodge the consequences and still be forgiven?
That's pretty darned selfish. IMO, of course.