BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- An American man found
guilty of sexually assaulting three teenage girls was sentenced to 4,060 years
in jail Wednesday.
A day after finding James Kevin Pope guilty, jurors
sentenced him to 40 life prison terms ¡ª one for each sex assault conviction ¡ª
and 20 years for each of the three sexual performance of a child
convictions.
At the request of prosecutors, Texas state District
Judge Graham Quisenberry ordered Pope to serve the sentences consecutively,
adding up to 4,060 years. He will be eligible for parole in the year 3209,
according to the Parker County District Attorney's Office.
"We believe it was a just result," prosecutor Robert
DuBoise said, adding that he was "overwhelmed" with the judge's decision to
stack the sentences.
Pope, 43, abused the girls for nearly two years, but
it only came to authorities' attention earlier this year after Pope made several
inappropriate comments to a friend, who notified Child Protective Services.
During the trial, the teens testified about the
abuse, and their sexually explicit photographs were shown as evidence.
But Rick Alley, Pope's defense lawyer, told jurors in
closing arguments that the victims were incapable of understanding what
happened, the Weatherford Democrat reported in its Wednesday online edition.
"If it was as traumatic as they indicate, they would
be able to give you (specific dates and times of the incidents). Simply because
it's shocking doesn't make it true," Alley said.
(Agencies)