Swansea Man Convicted of Numerous Rape Charges; Sentenced to Two Decades in Prison
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
PRESS RELEASE
November 16, 2016
A 34-year-old Swansea man was convicted after trial in Fall River Superior Court today of several rape charges and was sentenced to serve 20 to 25 years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Christopher Rochon was convicted by a jury of his peers of a multi-count indictment charging him with statutory rape, four counts of statutory rape aggravated by age difference, one count of rape of a child with force and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14.
After the six day jury trial and conviction, Superior Court Judge Raffi Yessayan sentenced the defendant to serve 20 to 25 years in state prison and 35 years of supervised probation. The terms of his probation include registering as a sex offender, having no contact with children and GPS monitoring.
The trial was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney William McCauley and Second Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman. During this morning’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors argued for a 25 to 30 year prison sentence, while Rochon’s defense recommended a 10 year prison term.
The defendant stood accused of sexually assaulting a young relative through marriage for about a decade while the girl was between the ages of 5 and 15 years old. The assaults took place in homes he shared with the girl and their family in Swansea and Fall River.
”I would like to thank the jury for its verdict in this very unpleasant case. I especially want to express my admiration for the young victim for the courage and perseverance she showed in testifying in this case in which her own mother did not support her. It is extremely difficult to relive these allegations, especially when you have no family support,” said District Attorney Quinn. ”The multiple instances of abuse, starting when the victim was just five years old deserves the substantial sentence the defendant received. I would like to thank the prosecutors for their efforts in this difficult case.”
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576—cell