A Wales man has been sentenced to 9½ years in prison for the shooting death of a hunter and unrelated sexual assault of a girl.

Christopher Austin, 43, pleaded guilty Friday to manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of 49-year-old Gerard Parent in November 2012 while the two were hunting separately in the Androscoggin County town of Wales and shooting at the same deer. He also pleaded guilty to gross sexual assault of a child between the ages of 8 and 15.

The victim of the sexual assaults spoke tearfully in court, describing Austin as a sick man in desperate need of help, the Sun Journal in Lewiston reported. A court official also read text from Parent’s widow that said she could not hold a job because of the turmoil caused by her husband’s death. She said she no longer decorates for Christmas or enjoys life as she did before his death.

“I’m not the person I used to be. I’m not the person I want to be,” Becky Ann Brown said in her written testimony.
Austin was sentenced to two years for manslaughter and seven years for sexual assault.

After his release, he must serve nine years on probation and register as a sex offender. He also is banned from hunting or owning firearms.

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