Judge sentences admitted rapist to probation, no prison time
ABC News
The judge reportedly said that prison time would not be "appropriate."
A 20-year-old from New York has evaded prison time after pleading guilty to a series of crimes the lead prosecutor called "horrible acts" of sexual assault.
The defendant, Christopher Belter, who pleaded guilty to rape and sex abuse in 2019, was sentenced to eight years probation and must register as a sex offender, but will not face prison time.
Niagara County Judge Matthew Murphy delivered the sentence on Tuesday, telling the courtroom, including some of Belter's victims, that prison time would not be "appropriate."
"I agonized [over the sentence]. I'm not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain. There was great harm. There were multiple crimes committed in the case," Murphy said in court. "It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn't appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation."
