A Rockport man will serve six years in state prison after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated rape of a child in Salem Superior Court.
James Brosnan, 43, of 703 Sandy Bay Terrace in Rockport, admitted Tuesday to all three counts of the rape of a then-12-year-old girl. Judge Howard Whitehead sentenced him to six years in state prison, and seven years of probation on his release.
Whitehead ordered Brosnan to register as a sex offender, and seek sex offender treatment. He also ordered him to write a letter of apology to the victim, and have no further contact with her. Brosnan will remain on an electronic monitoring bracelet while on probation.
The sentence came through a plea agreement between Brosnan’s Attorney William Korman of Rudolph Friedmann LLP in Boson and prosecutor Carolanne Hillis. The victim’s family approved of the sentence, said Stephen O’Connell, spokesman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
Under terms of the deal, Brosnan must serve the full six years. He could have faced up to three life sentences on the charges if convicted in a trial.
Brosnan had been indicted on the three charges by the Essex Count Grand Jury in April. He was arrested on Feb. 23, and was initially arraigned in Gloucester District Court.
“These types of crimes are hideous, and nobody wins,” said Detective Steven Mizzoni, who participated with Rockport police in the arrest of Brosnan at his home. “The least we can do is put the predator in jail, and I’m thankful that happened.”
Mizzoni began investigating three years ago, when a woman called him and said her daughter, then 12 years old, was in what she called an inappropriate sexual relationship with Brosnan.
Soon after the call, Mizzoni and officers brought Brosnan in for questioning. But he declined to talk with officers, and asked for a lawyer. The case sat after that until February 2012.
On Feb. 7, the woman’s daughter — now 15 — revived the investigation. That day, she told Mizzoni about the relationship, and that she had sexual relation with Brosnan on at least six occasions. Brosnan had lived near the family in Gloucester at the time the incidents occurred.
Three weeks after the daughter came forward, Gloucester and Rockport police officers arrested Brosnan at his then Sandy Bay Terrace home.
Mizzoni said his and the Gloucester Police Department’s prayers still go out to the girl and her family.
“Our prayers go out to the victim and her family,” Mizzoni said, “and we commend her for her bravery in coming forward,” Mizzoni said.
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
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