BOSTON, June 8, 2018— A Brockton man has been sentenced to prison more than two decades after he sexually abused three young girls in Boston, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

WILLIAM BRYANT, 69, yesterday pleaded guilty to six counts of rape of a child with force and one count of assault with intent to rape a child. Assistant District Attorney Brenna Flynn of the DA’s Child Protection Unit recommended that Bryant be sentenced to three concurrent terms of seven to nine years in state prison followed by five years of probation. Judge Linda Giles, citing the defendant’s health issues, sentenced Bryant to three years in prison followed by five years of probation, during which time Bryant will be required to complete sex offender treatment, wear a GPS monitor, provide law enforcement with a DNA sample, have no contact with the victims or their families, and have no contact with any child under age 18 unless supervised by the child’s parent or guardian, to whom Bryant must provide a full disclosure of his crimes. He must also register as a sex offender.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Flynn would have presented evidence and testimony to prove that, beginning in 1992, Bryant sexually abused a child known to him on numerous occasions over a period of years when she was between the ages of 7 and 12. The abuse, which began on the date of the victim’s first communion, occurred in the victim’s home in South Boston and in Bryant’s parents’ home in Dorchester.

The evidence and testimony would have proved that Bryant also abused a friend of his family between 1993 and 1996 when she was approximately 11 to 13 years old and in Bryant’s care. He also abused another family friend when she was 11 or 12 years old during the mid-1990s.

The first victim reported the abuse to police on June 7, 2016 – exactly two years prior to the date of Bryant’s guilty plea yesterday. Her disclosure prompted an investigation by Boston Police and Suffolk prosecutors during which the victims each underwent forensic interviews.

Before the sentence was imposed, two of Bryant’s victims delivered impact statements describing the effect that the abuse had on their lives. One victim recalled suicide attempts she made as a teen.

“I had no idea how to process it or handle what happened and how I felt,” she said. “I just kept it all bottled up inside. On the inside I was screaming for help, petrified and all alone, while just sitting there silently on the outside.”

Another victim said the trauma affected her emotionally “since the first time he put his hands on me inappropriately” and that, even now, her “dreams can be so vivid it brings me right back.” Today, however, “I am no longer a victim but a survivor.”

“Disclosing childhood sexual abuse is one of the most difficult decisions a person may ever make. Often it can take years before a victim feels comfortable speaking out,” Conley said. “When these adult survivors did come forward, they found a team of compassionate professionals who were ready to listen and understood their concerns. We’re proud of them for their courage and resilience, and we’re grateful for their key role in holding their abuser accountable.”

Kimberly Lord was the DA’s assigned victim witness advocate. Bryant was represented by Keith Nicholson.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.