Bucks Man Gets 900+ Years In Prison For Abusing, Photographing Girl For Years
By Brad Segall
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A Bucks County judge has sent a clear message that he hopes will grab the attention of child predators: a sentence of more than 900 years for a man who abused a teenage girl for four years.
Thomas Holliday was convicted earlier this year of hundreds of counts of child pornography and sexual abuse. Prosecutors say he sexually abused a girl starting when she was 14, and filmed almost every assault.
The 81-year-old Lower Makefield man was sentenced to at least 935 years -- and up to more than 1,800 years -- behind bars.
Prosecutor Michelle Laucella calls the victim "courageous" for finally coming forward and telling authorities what happened.
"I just think she wanted him to acknowledge what he did wrong and he didn't," she said after the sentencing. "He didn't think he did anything wrong. So I think it was bittersweet for her."
The judge told the court he hopes the sentence acts as a deterrent to others who rob children of their youth by abusing them.
After the sentencing, Holliday's attorney indicated that an appeal would be likely.
Court observers believe it's the longest sentence ever handed down in Bucks County.