A Massachusetts youth hockey coach is facing 13 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to 16 child sexual assault charges.
Christopher Prew, 34, of Marblehead pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated rape of a child with an age difference greater than 10 years, and to 14 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14. He also pled guilty to one count of attempted indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14.
Judge James Lang sentenced Prew to 10 years of probation following his prison sentence, during which he has been ordered to stay away from and have no contact with the victims; stay out of the town of Marblehead; and wear a GPS monitoring device.
"This is something that will never go away, your honor," a mother of one of the victims said in an impact statement, according to the ABC affiliate. "The damage is not reversible, and my son has seen and will continue to see a therapist for the rest of his life."
The Essex District attorney praised the boys who came forward.
“While I fully understand that nothing can restore what the defendant so callously took from the victims and their families, it is my fervent hope that this plea will make clear that none of this was their fault,” Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in a statement. “I commend the boys for their bravery in coming forward and for their willingness to testify at trial.”
In Feburary of 2018, Prew was arrested after he was accused of sexually abusing eight boys between the ages of 7 and 13 who he worked with as a hockey coach. He was taken into custody after the mother of one of the victims went to the police.
Prew provided private and group hockey coaching sessions in the Marblehead area, but was not affiliated with Marblehead Youth Hockey Association nor any Marblehead Public Schools hockey teams or clubs.
