PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for child molestation.
Kunwar Chadha was sentenced Thursday in Superior Court in Providence. A jury found him guilty in March of two counts of second-degree child molestation.
Prosecutors say the 53-year-old Cumberland resident sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy who was friends with his children. The victim reported the molestation to police in 2016.
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Judge Netti Vogel said the fact that Chadha had been convicted twice before - in 1987 and 1990 - for crimes against children was factor in her sentence.
The Providence Journal reports Chadha’s now 18-year-old victim also spoke in court about his mental-health struggles, including suicide attempts, since the assaults.
Chadha’s lawyer said his client is a “well-liked, well-respected man” and will appeal the sentence.
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