WASHINGTON — A Sterling, Virginia, man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Friday for charges that he sexually assaulted a younger family member over the span of seven years.
Avtar Singh, 56, pleaded no contest in March to five charges including incest and aggravated sexual battery as part of a plea deal. Judge Douglas L. Fleming in Loudoun County Circuit Court handed down Singh’s sentence on Friday.
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Gigi Lawless described the offenses as “vile, gut-wrenching, heinous and appalling.”
The abuse, which began when the victim was a teenager, came to the attention of authorities through Child Protective Services in 2015 when the victim was an adult.
“The Virginia Sentencing Guidelines do not consider the egregious nature of the offenses and they are woefully inadequate,” Lawless said. “The defendant abused his position of trust and took advantage of a vulnerable victim.”
Before imposing a sentence, Fleming noted that the facts of the case could not be “sanitized or minimized,” and that the defendant’s actions have caused “profound and incalculable damage to the victim.”
