A 16-year-old girl today offered forgiveness to the repeat offender who raped her two years ago as a Suffolk Superior Court judge sentenced the man to up to a decade behind bars and 30 years of monitoring.

Judge Raymond Brassard sentenced VERNON THOMPSON (D.O.B. 1/28/70), convicted last week of two counts of rape of a child, to a term of seven to 10 years in state prison and 30 years of probation to begin today. Brassard told Thompson that if he doesn’t “stay out of trouble” during that probationary term, he will be brought back before the court for resentencing and could face life in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Leora Joseph, chief of Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s Child Protection Unit, had recommended a term of 20 to 30 years in prison followed by 20 years probation upon his release.

Under Massachusetts law, prosecutors may file to have certain sex offenders civilly committed as sexually dangerous persons upon their release from prison.

Brassard further ordered that Thompson stay away from and have no contact with the victim or her family, have no contact with any children under 16, undergo sex offender treatment as deemed necessary, and comply with all medication orders by a physician.

The victim, whose name is not being released because she is a survivor of sexual assault, addressed Brassard prior to sentencing.

“I forgive Vernon Thompson for what he did,” the girl said. “I just wish he could understand that what he did was wrong. I pray for him every day, and for his family – and for my family.”

The girl, whose voice broke briefly as she delivered her impact statement, said she was devastated after the July 9, 2008, incident at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, where Thompson was a patient and she was a volunteer, but that “I am no longer a broken person.”

She urged the judge to impose a meaningful punishment, however.

“The only way for him to learn from this is to spend time in prison,” she said.

During the four-day trial, Joseph proved that Thompson lured the girl, then 14 and the relative of a hospital employee, to a stairwell where there were no security cameras and raped her twice. Thompson’s defense claimed that he was not criminally responsible for his actions; Suffolk prosecutors called mental health expert witnesses who testified otherwise. A jury convicted him of all charges a few hours after Friday’s closing arguments.

“What we saw from this young woman was remarkable,” Conley said. “It’s hard enough for many people to disclose this kind of abuse. She not only reported it, but she took an active part in the prosecution. Her testimony was powerful. And her statements today prove that while she was victimized, she is not a victim – she is a survivor, and she’s a role model for others who wonder if they’ll be believed.”

Jillian Quigley was the assigned victim-witness advocate. Thompson was represented by attorney Joan Stanley. The case was investigated by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Troop H.