Woonsocket Radio News Room

Cumberland Man Sentenced to Serve 22 Years in State Prison for First-Degree Sexual Assault

 

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Cumberland man was sentenced on February 23, 2021 in Providence County Superior Court, to serve 22 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after being found guilty of first-degree sexual assault stemming from a 2019 incident involving a female victim at a home in Pawtucket. 

 

James Robinson (age 33), was found guilty on February 11, 2020, by a Providence County Superior Court jury of three counts of first-degree sexual assault. The jury returned the verdict following a two-week trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Stephen Nugent.

 

At Tuesday’s hearing before Judge Nugent, the court sentenced Robinson to 45 years at the ACI with 22 years to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended with probation. The court further issued a no contact order between Robinson and the victim. Additionally, Robinson is required to comply with all statutory requirements relating to sex offender registration and attend counseling.

 

“No sentence, however long, can undo the harm the defendant inflicted on the victim here through his criminal misconduct.  That said, the long years of imprisonment now facing the defendant – every one of them entirely deserved – will hopefully provide the victim with some sense of justice and deter others who would commit acts of sexual violence,” said Attorney General Neronha. “I am grateful to the victim for her strength and courage in coming forward, for making sure that her voice was heard, and for seeing this case through to a successful conclusion.”

 

During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on the evening of February 1, 2019, Robinson sexually assaulted the victim, who was known to him, at a home in Pawtucket. 

 

The morning after the assault, the victim filed a complaint with the Pawtucket Police Department. Robinson was brought in for questioning and admitted to sexual contact with the victim. 

 

This case was tried in the Superior Court by Assistant Attorney General Meghan McDonough and Special Assistant Attorney General Jessica Villella.  The police investigation was led by Sergeant Nathan Gallison of the Pawtucket Police Department.

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