A former Dartmouth police officer will likely be locked up for a minimum of the subsequent decade, his sentencing coming a day after a jury convicted him on fees of kid rape and indecent assault and battery.
A Fall River Superior Court docket decide sentenced Shawn Souza on Thursday to serve 10 to fifteen years in state jail adopted by two years of supervised probation, Bristol District Legal professional Thomas Quinn III stated in a press release.
Proof introduced throughout a three-day trial proved Souza raped his younger stepdaughter a number of instances, authorities stated.
The jury additionally convicted the previous cop of molesting a 15-year-old woman in 2013, in the identical interval he had raped his stepdaughter who was between the ages of 6 and eight from 2011 to 2013.
Assistant District Attorneys Silvia Rudman and Kalene Kobza argued for Souza to be sentenced to twenty to 25 years in state jail after which seven years of supervised probation.
Decide Susan Sullivan met within the center with the prosecution, who requested a 10-year time period, and the protection, sentencing the defendant to 10 to fifteen years after which two years of probation.
“The defendant took advantage of his position of trust and access to sexually abuse a six-year-old child over a two year period,” Quinn stated. “The victim had viewed him as a father figure and eloquently said in court that he was the only father she had, and he should’ve protected her.”
“We had requested more and thought more was appropriate,” Quinn added, “but, it’s a mandatory 10-year sentence, he’s on probation … He’s held accountable, and under the circumstances, I am satisfied with the result.”
Dartmouth Police positioned Souza on administrative depart following his arrest in April 2019. Authorities investigated the cop after the Bristol County DA’s Particular Victims Unit acquired a 51A report, with the state Division of Youngsters and Households notifying the DA of Souza’s alleged youngster abuse.
“The officer’s actions were a betrayal of the trust that the public holds in us,” Dartmouth Police Chief Brian Levesque stated in a press release. “We take an oath to protect our citizens, not harm them — especially the most vulnerable. Clearly the officer’s actions do not represent the values of the Dartmouth Police Department. We offer our thoughts and support to the victims and their families.”
An preliminary trial within the case resulted in a deadlocked jury in 2022, triggering the second trial by which each victims testified. The victims additionally offered impression statements on Thursday.
Souza’s certification to function a police officer was suspended final 12 months.
“I commend the victims and their families for persevering through this difficult ordeal, including a second trial,” Quinn stated. “I admire the victim for telling the court today that she refused to be defined by what the defendant did to her.”
