Princeton man sentenced to 45 years, no parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child
McKINNEY (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A Princeton man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison without parole after he was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Benny James Phennel, 38, sexually abused the victim over the course of two years, beginning when they were 10 years old. He was known by and had ongoing access to the victim.
The victim told family about the abuse after becoming concerned that another child was going to be spending the night with Phennel.
When confronted by the victim's family, Phennel admitted that he had "messed around" with the victim.
"We are proud of this child victim's courage to disclose her abuse to an adult and to testify against her abuser," said Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis. "And how admirable that her motivation was to protect another child."