Ashley Erickson (C) cries as her parents read a victim's statement for her during the sentencing hearing of Larry Nassar in the Eaton County Court in Charlotte, Michigan on February 2, 2018. Photo: Reuters
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https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2132145/larry-nassar-receives-final-criminal-sentence-40-125 United States & Canada
Ex-Olympic doctor Larry Nassar sentenced to a further 40 to 125 years in prison for child abuse
Nassar has already received sentences of 40 to 175 years for sex assault and 60 years for child porn convictions
Larry Nassar (right) and his defense attorney Matthew Newberg listens as Judge Janice Cunningham (pictured on the monitor) sentences Nassar at Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Michigan on February 5, 2018. Photo: The Grand Rapids Press via AP
Disgraced former Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was given to a further 40-to-125-year sentence on Monday, bringing the criminal proceedings against the convicted child molester to a conclusion.
The sentence does not lengthen what already amounts to a life sentence for the 54-year-old, as he will serve it concurrently with the 40- to 175-year sentence he received last month for seven counts of sexual assault in nearby Lansing, Michigan.
Nassar, whose sentence on Monday came after he admitted to three sexual assault counts at a gymnastics centre in Dimondale, Michigan, also must serve a 60-year federal term for child pornography crimes.
“This now ends the criminal legal proceedings involving Larry Nassar. I realise that it does not end the emotional and physical suffering he has caused,” Judge Janice Cunningham said in a Charlotte, Michigan courtroom after imposing the maximum sentence under a plea agreement.
More than 260 girls and women – including Olympians, gymnasts, and collegiate athletes – have asserted abuse by Nassar who, often under the guise of medical treatment, digitally penetrated and groped them over career of more than two-decade.
Judge Janice Cunningham termed the scope of Nassar’s crimes “beyond comprehension” as she issued her sentence.
He had previously been sentenced to 60 years in prison on child pornography possession charges in December, and up to 175 years in prison on sexual abuse charges in January.
Victims and their family members embrace following the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar in Eaton County Circuit Court on February 5, 2018 in Charlotte, Michigan. At the hearing, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 125 years in prison. He is currently serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Last month a judge in Ingham County, Michigan sentenced Nassar to 40 to 175 years in prison after he plead guilty to sexually assaulting seven girls. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
The last of the three sentences was handed down Monday over abuse Nassar committed at the Twistars gymnastics training centre in Michigan.
Nassar, who had also worked for Michigan State University, addressed the court in a brief statement lasting less than a minute, offering an apology similar to the one he offered at the January sentencing.
“The words expressed by everyone that has spoken, including the parents, have impacted me to my innermost core,” Nassar said.
“It’s impossible to convey the depth and breadth of how sorry I am to each and every one involved.”
Randall Margraves (left) father of three victims of Larry Nassar, background right, lunges at Nassar in Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Michigan on February 2, 2018. Photo: The Grand Rapids Press via AP
Many of his victims and their family members confronted Nassar during emotional courtroom hearings over the past three weeks, which climaxed Friday as a father of three victims lunged at Nassar in court but was subdued and removed by police.
More than 150 victims spoke at a marathon seven days of hearings in January, and 48 others spoke out in court for the first time last week.
Their descriptions of lasting emotional scars, and criticism of institutions that allowed Nassar’s abuse to go unchecked for decades, have shaken US amateur athletics.
The US Congress passed a bill enshrining new athlete protections into law.
The entire board of USA Gymnastics and some of the university leadership have been forced to step down.
Kaitlyn Basel (left) gives a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing of Larry Nassar in the Eaton County Court in Charlotte, Michigan on February 2, 2018. Photo: Reuters
MSU, the gymnastics governing organisation and the US Olympic Committee have all come under scrutiny and are facing various investigations.
The entire board of USA Gymnastics and some of the university leadership have been forced to step down.
MSU, the gymnastics governing organisation and the US Olympic Committee have all come under scrutiny and are facing various investigations.