The man who admitted having sex with a 14-day-old child and then had sex again with the girl and then with another woman when he was in his 40s has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The jury deliberated for about 10 hours on Thursday in Montgomery County Superior Court.
It’s the second time in two years that a man has pleaded guilty to child molesting.
The first was in September 2015, when a man pleaded guilty after admitting to having sex in a car with a 15-year old girl and another woman.
In the second case, the judge imposed a sentence of 18 months in prison, saying he was determined to send a message that “anyone who engages in such conduct will be punished severely.”
The first man, a former Auburn University football player, had pleaded guilty in 2014 to having sexual relations with a 17-yearold girl.
In that case, prosecutors said the defendant also had sex several times with two 16-year olds, but prosecutors declined to press charges.
“These crimes took place during a time of deep trauma and suffering and a time in which there were no guarantees,” Judge Kevin D. Stumpf said.
“I am deeply troubled by this case and am deeply disturbed that such conduct took place.”
The trial of former Auburn football player Dontrell Bell, who pleaded guilty last year to having sexually abused a child, centered on allegations he molested a young girl when he and another man were in his early 20s and then sexually abused another teen when he got out of prison.
He was released from prison in March 2016.
He has been living in Florida, where he was a free man when he plead guilty to a third sex crime in May 2016.
Bell is a convicted child molester, who served nearly 20 years for his crimes.
The case was a watershed moment for Alabama and the nation as it deals with a wave of child sex abuse.
Many victims have sought help from law enforcement agencies, and a law was passed last year that would require sex offenders to register with the state, though it was not immediately clear if Alabama would follow suit.
