Man gets seven years for sex abuse of girl, 9

Saying that the judiciary supports the public campaign against child abuse, Superior Court judge David Wiseman yesterday sentenced a man to seven years in prison for sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl.

A jury earlier found Joselito A. Castro guilty of two counts of sexual assault in the second degree. The court also convicted Castro of assault and battery and disturbing the peace.

For the first two counts, Wiseman imposed on Castro seven-year-prison terms. The judge suspended three years for each of the prison terms.

The judge also sentenced Castro to one-year imprisonment for assault and battery and six months incarceration for disturbing the peace.

Wiseman ordered that the prison terms be served concurrently, which meant that Castro would spend an actual jail term of four years, provided that he does not violate his probation for the suspended three-year prison terms. He directed Castro to report to the Department of Corrections on Dec. 2.

The judge also imposed a $500-fine against Castro and directed the defendant to render 200 hours of community service. He required Castro to register as a sex offender during his term of incarceration and instructed the defendant to write a letter of apology to the victim and her family. The judge said the defendant should also stay away and not contact the victim during the duration of the suspended sentence.

“The victim’s version of what happened in this matter, as well as the adverse effect it has had and will continue to have on her years of youth, is of great concern to this court and to our community because it will most likely affect her for a long time,” the judge said.

“Situations such as defendant’s criminal actions against a child must be deterred, which is why the people passed a law that has harsh sentences as sending a strong message to potential offenders that they will go to jail if they molest or abuse children,” he added. “The will of the people as expressed through our laws must be followed by this court.”

Wiseman noted that Castro was 40 years old when he made sexual advances on the 9-year-old girl, the daughter of the defendant’s friend.

Castro gave the girl a ride to her grandmother’s house when the defendant stopped the car several times and kissed her on the lips and cheek several times and also touched her breasts.

The judge also noted that Castro refused to accept responsibility for his crimes, which made the defendant not a good candidate for rehabilitation.

“Sentencing is not really for what is good for the defendant, but rather what is best for the community, and in particular the safety of our children,” he said.