FARMINGTON — A Franklin County justice sentenced a New Sharon man on Wednesday to serve a total of 24 years in prison for sexually assaulting a young boy over a period of 11 years.

A Franklin County jury found Paul D. Tracy, 45, guilty of 11 counts of gross sexual assault and 11 counts of unlawful sexual contact after a two-day trial in October.

According to court testimony, Tracy sexually abused the boy from 1997 to 2007 — from the age of 3 or 4 until he was 13 or 14 — in Industry.

Franklin County Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy used a combination of sentences to arrive at the 24 years in jail and 12 years of probation to serve after he is released.

She also ordered Tracy to register as a lifetime sex offender, have no contact with the victim or his family, undergo sexual abuse counseling and to have no contact with anyone under 18 during probation. He was barred from possessing pornography and accessing the Internet and ordered to pay up to $3,650.36 in restitution for medical and mental health treatment.

Tracy’s attorney, Walter McKee, said he plans to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.

Prior to the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson said, “It is a nightmare” for the victim due to the nature of the case, the betrayal of trust and how long the abuse went on. The victim and his family all have undergone counseling, and some continue. Robinson said the victim has to live with the effects of the sexual abuse for the rest of his life.

“Being a victim of sexual abuse is very difficult,” the victim told the court.

He has experienced anger, fear, depression and loss and still continues in counseling. He said it was stressful always worrying if he would see Tracy again.

“I couldn’t be the kid I wanted to be,” he said. “I couldn’t remember most of my childhood.”

He said Tracy took his most precious gift, his childhood.

The victim told the court he wanted Tracy to get the maximum sentence so he could not hurt anyone anymore.

McKee said that Tracy has a history of significant, honorable military service and has earned multiple medals and awards and has no criminal record.

He argued for Tracy to be released on probation where he could be carefully monitored. He asked the court not to impose the 28 years in prison that Robinson sought. That is a sentence more suited to murder or manslaughter, he said.

Tracy’s family and friends said that he was always helping them out, served 26 years in the military, led an honorable life and was a productive member of society. They had never seen Tracy do ill will to anybody and never saw him exhibit the conduct that was described in court, they said.

Tracy broke down in tears during some of the testimony.

When the sentence hearing was over, Tracy, who was in handcuffs, turned to the victim and his family and yelled, “I hope you’re (expletive) satisfied.”

A corrections officer stepped in to stop Tracy from yelling, and Tracy told him to get his hands off of him. A Franklin County deputy, corrections officers and judicial marshals rushed Tracy out of the courtroom into the jury room while the courtroom was ordered to be cleared.

“It was disappointing that the court did not take into full account Paul’s distinguished military service and total lack of a criminal record at sentencing,” McKee said after the sentencing. “Twenty-four years is, in essence, a life sentence for Paul.”

dperry@sunjournal.com

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