WASHINGTON — A jury in Loudoun County found a gymnastics coach guilty of aggravated sexual battery for repeatedly touching an 11-year-old girl inappropriately.
The jury fixed the sentence for 44-year-old Brian Dinh Nguyen of Sterling, Virginia, to six years in prison and an $11,000 fine.
The 11-year-old girl and her friend went to a local gymnastics facility in Loudoun County for a free event to celebrate their friend’s birthday on the night of Dec. 2, 2017. Nguyen was a coach at the facility and the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney office said Nguyen targeted the victim and repeatedly touched her inappropriately.
The victim told her friend, who then took action to defend the victim from Nguyen, and both girls told their parents what happened on the way home from the gym, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office said in a news release.
“The defendant picked a child whom he thought was weak and wouldn’t say anything,” said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joshua P. Steward during the sentencing portion of the trial, according to the news release from the Commonwealth attorney’s office.
“Fortunately for all of us, he choose poorly. The victim, while quite and reserved, was courageous enough to recognize what he was doing and turn to her friend for help and together they have helped us bring a child predator to justice.”
The Commonwealth Attorney’s office also introduced evidence against Nguyen of a prior conviction for assault and battery.
Nguyen will be formally sentenced on Sept. 11, 2018.
He will also be required to register as a violent sex offender for the rest of his life.
