A 22-year-old sailor who was convicted of...
A 22-year-old sailor who was convicted of raping a 9-year-old girl and molesting three other girls was sentenced Thursday to 31 years in state prison.
Alan Earl James received the term from San Diego Superior Court Judge Raul Rosado, who denied a motion from James’ attorney for a new trial.
The judge imposed a consecutive five-year term for James’ 1981 child molestation conviction and another year consecutively for James’ failure to register as a sex offender.
Afterward, the father of one of the girls said: “Some guy like this should be put away forever. If this is as hard as they can give him, that’s fine.”
Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Eichler argued that James be sentenced to 44 years, but James’ attorney, Michael Popkins, suggested that a 20-year term was reasonable.
Rosado told the defense attorney he granted most of his motions during the trial and thought James received a fair trial. “The evidence was overwhelming for conviction,” he said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
