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Former Sunday school teacher gets 30 to 40 years in prison for raping student
Gilbert Hernandez was convicted of more than a dozen charges for the 2018 rapes and molestations.
A former Freetown Sunday school teacher and substitute teacher was sentenced Wednesday to serve between 30 and 40 years in prison for the 2018 rape and molestation of a 14-year-old girl.
Gilbert Hernandez, 58, was convicted on Monday of five counts of rape of a child-aggravated by more than a 10 year age difference; two counts of rape of a child by force; four counts of indecent assault and battery; and two counts of dissemination of obscene matter to a child, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said Hernandez knew the girl through the close friendship she had with his son and in his capacity as a substitute teacher in the Freetown-Lakeville schools and as a Sunday school teacher. He raped and molested her in the towns of Freetown, Raynham, Taunton, and Lakeville between February and July of 2018, according to the DA’s office.
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During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the girl told the court how the repeated abuse has impacted her life, including the loss of her childhood and friendships. She also said she suffers from PTSD flashbacks that cause her to be physically ill and have nightmares, the DA’s office said.
“The defendant took advantage of the relationship between the two families. He was able to obtain her trust, which allowed him to have repeated access to her, resulting in multiple acts of rape and sexual abuse,” Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a statement. “It is particularly galling that the defendant was her religious education instructor and a substitute teacher at her school.”
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Hernandez has also been sentenced to 10 years of supervised probation, upon the completion of his time in prison, according to the DA’s office.
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