A MONSTER babysitter has been caged for 20 years after violently raping a two-year-old toddler, leaving her with life-changing injuries.
The victim’s dad slammed the sentence, saying teenage predator Thomas Johnson should have been handed the “death penalty”.
A Polk County judge imposed the sentence on 19-year-old Johnson, who was 17 when the rape was committed.
That meant Johnson did not face a mandatory life sentence after pleading guilty to sexual battery on a child.
But on Friday, the judge chose to sentence him as an adult.
Johnson was arrested on April 28, 2018, hours after calling the girl’s dad to say she had been hurt and he needed to come home, reported the Lakeland Ledger .
Assistant State Attorney Ashley McCarthy said that Johnson had waited for some time to contact him after the appalling attack.
She said: “Instead of going and helping her, he chose [to look after] himself.”
After the father called 911, Johnson lied, and told deputies a masked intruder dressed completely in black, and wearing gloves, entered the home while he was sleeping.
Johnson said he had chased the man from the house, then realized the child – one of three that had been left in his care that night – had been hurt.
His victim was found bleeding and screaming in agony, the Ledger added.
Johnson hid evidence of the heinous crime, including a sheet and towel.
Dr Valerie McClain, a forensic psychologist of Tampa, told Polk County Courthouse in Bartow that Johnson was addicted to masturbation and porn.
During the two-day sentencing hearing, the court was told that his victim has already had numerous operations after suffering serious internal injuries.
The girl will need further surgery as she gets older, including for pain and incontinence, added Dr Carol Lilly, Child Protection Team medical director.
On Friday, after being sentenced for sexual battery on a child and tampering with evidence, Johnson told his victim’s parents: “I’m sorry to the (child’s) family for all the pain and misery that this impacted on your lives.”
The Ledger reports that, after the rapist was caged for life, the victim’s dad said: “It isn’t justice for my daughter.
“I honestly think the death penalty is the way to go on a lot of things like this, but there are laws against things, and they don’t do that anymore.”
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552.
