BANGOR, Maine — A Carmel man who showed no remorse for repeated sexual assaults against a Winterport girl will spend the next 27 years behind bars and will not be allowed any contact with children for 20 years after his release from prison.
Richard Watson, 30, also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, District Court Judge John Lucy decided Monday while sentencing him at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
“His complete lack of acceptance and denial of responsibility and his lack of remorse” were aggravating factors in the sentencing, Lucy said.
Lucy described Watson as a “predator” and said his crimes “caused tremendous trauma” that may have lifelong effects on his victim, who was 10 when he was arrested.
Watson, 30, was convicted last year of two counts of gross sexual assault, a Class A crime; one count of unlawful sexual contact, also a Class A crime; and one count of visual sexual aggression against a child, a Class C crime.
After the judge heard from two cousins and a friend who spoke on Watson’s behalf on Monday, Lucy took the sentencing recommendations into his chambers to review them along with a couple of submitted letters. Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy took the time to immediately check on the mother of Watson’s victim.
“Are you alright?” Almy asked the mother, who nodded.
The Bangor Daily News is not naming the girl or revealing her relationship to the defendant because she is a sexual assault victim.
She was 10 years old when the crimes happened and 11 years old when she testified against Watson, Almy said last year when Watson was convicted. The jury took less than an hour to deliberate after the two-day trial at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
The statutory sentence for the rape of a juvenile age 12 or under is 20 years and Almy asked for consecutive sentences.
Defense attorney Robert Van Horn told the judge that Almy’s request was “so far out of whack for similar cases” in his request for a lesser sentence.
Lucy sentenced Watson to 27 years each for the rapes, 20 years for the unlawful sexual contact and 5 years for the visual sexual aggression, all to be served concurrently.
“It’s clear that Mr. Watson groomed the child in a premeditated way,” Lucy said.
Watson also “attempted to put the guilt on the child,” saying if she told, she might never see him again, the judge said.
“I think the sentencing was fair. It was an appropriate sentence for what he did,” Almy said. “The defense was asking for a lot less time and the judge rejected that. He should get 27 years in jail. He deserves 27 years in jail for what he did.”
The judge also ordered that upon his release from prison, Watson will enter a 20-year period of supervised release were he will be barred from:
— Contacting children age 16 or younger, directly or indirectly, or his victim or her family, unless written permission is given.
— Associating with others on probation or supervised release, unless written permission is given.
— Possessing any pornography or any other sexually explicit materials, and he will be subject to random search and seizures by law enforcement in order to comply.
“Supervised release is not more punishment, but instead is [put into place] to enhance the safety of the community,” Lucy said.
To reach a sexual assault advocate, call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 800-871-7741, TTY 888-458-5599. This free and confidential 24-hour service is accessible from anywhere in Maine. Calls are automatically routed to the closest sexual violence service provider.