PORTLAND — A Windham man convicted of abusing a 4-year-old girl and photographing the assaults was sentenced today to 32 years in prison.

Nicholas Gladu, 28, was convicted last month of unlawful sexual contact, sexual exploitation of a minor under 12, visual sexual aggression against a child and 65 counts of possessing sexually explicit material.

Some of the explicit materials were photographs documenting the assaults and others were photographs or videos of other children that Gladu downloaded. Gladu had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ackerman had asked Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren to sentence Gladu to a total of 60 years in prison. Thomas Connolly, Gladu’s lawyer, had asked for a term of eight years with all but four suspended.

Gladu was charged after the discovery of a memory card with photographs of the 2010 assault. Authorities said Gladu was baby-sitting the girl at the time and her mother testified that Gladu told her he had given the child Benadryl to help her sleep.

During the sentencing hearing, Ackerman said that Gladu had called a relative from the jail during the trial, using another inmate’s telephone account number, and told her how to testify. He also said that the trial was going poorly and that he needed to take action, like spitting on a juror, to get a mistrial, she said.

Gladu’s sentence also includes 18 years of probation. The conditions include no contact with children under 16, a prohibition on sexually explicit material and sex offender evaluation and counseling. He is required to register as  sex offender with the state for life.
 


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