A Russell man found guilty at trial of five charges related to the sexual assault of a victim between the ages of 4 and 5 years old will spend decades in prison.

Anthony M. Neese, 27, was sentenced Friday before President Judge Maureen Skerda to 20 to 80 years in a state correctional institution with credit for 556 days served and nine years of consecutive probation for rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, and other charges.

Assistant Public Defender Francis Waweru asked Skerda to take into consideration that Neese had no prior criminal record. “He has no run-ins with the law before this incident,” Waweru said. “I would ask leniency and that you run the sentences together.”

He said Neese could still be a young man when he gets out of prison and could “have a chance to turn his life around” with concurrent sentences.

“Defense counsel asks for a lenient sentence,” District Attorney Rob Greene said. “What about (the victim) who will have to live with this?”

“The actual, proper punishment is not legal,” Greene said. “He went to state police and admitted the conduct. Then he didn’t like the penalty so he forces the child and the family to go through a trial?”

“He should never get out of jail,” he said. “Adults that like having sex with little kids don’t change.”

“I would ask for the high end of the standard range on each and consecutive sentences,” Greene said.

“The court recognizes the young age of the victim,” Skerda said. “There appears to be very little remorse from Mr. Neese.”

She said she had received two letters from Neese regarding the case in which he said he suffers from drug and alcohol problems.

She said she recognizes addition as a disease, but “not everyone who has that disease commits criminal acts against young children.”

Neese is a Tier III sexual offender and lifetime registrant.

Skerda said he was not determined to be a sexually violent predator by the Sex Offender Assessment Board.