© Provided by WMUR Manchester jason lewis appears in court for sentencing
A Weare man will spend 32 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to dozens of charges related to the sexual abuse of a child.
Jason Lewis was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs Thursday after he was sentenced in what the judge called one of the most egregious cases he has ever seen.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen a case quite like this where these sort of actions were done in a way that evaded the trust of the family and affected so many people,” the judge said.
Lewis pleaded guilty to a long list of charges, including aggravated sexual assault, manufacturing child sex abuse images and endangering the welfare of a child.
Lewis was first arrested in 2021 on charges related to sexual abuse of a minor, but he was released on bail. He was arrested again in January on additional charges, including dozens of counts of manufacturing child sex abuse images.
Prosecutors said Lewis knew his victim, something relatives of the victim addressed during the sentencing hearing. A victim advocate read a statement on behalf of a family member.
“It’s been almost two years since my family’s world collapsed around us, since I found out my child was the victim of unimaginable abuse,” the advocate said. “I still cannot wrap my head around what happened. I’m not sure I will ever be able to understand what kind of person does something like this to a child.”
Family members of the victim spoke before the sentencing asking for the most severe punishment possible.
“May justice be served on you, not just in the courts, but also may your conscience make you regret for the rest of your life what you have done,” the family member said.
Prosecutors said after the sentencing that the details of the case were particularly disturbing.
“I think the sentence was a little light. However, justice comes in different forms. In this instance, not having the victim or the family having to endure multiple trials makes this sentence reasonable in light of the circumstances,” said Steven Gahan, Hillsborough County Assistant Attorney.
The judge asked Lewis if there was anything he wanted to say before entering his plea, but he simply said “no.”
He was taken out of court in handcuffs and to the state prison.
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READ THE FULL STORY:Man sentenced to decades in prison in child sexual abuse case
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