Meriden Man Sentenced In Sexual Assault Of Minor: Officials

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man has been sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with the sexual assault of a minor, according to officials.

Christian Diaz, 28, was sentenced Wednesday after agreeing to a plea deal that called for a 20-year prison sentence, suspended after eight years served, followed by 10 years of probation, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle announced.

Diaz pleaded guilty in August to third-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

A Meriden police investigation found that in the spring of 2013, Diaz, who was 18 at the time, “sexually assaulted the 8-year-old minor victim at her home on two or three occasions while her mother was at work,” according to a news release.

At sentencing, the victim told the court about the struggles she endured because of the assault but that she is ready to reclaim her life, saying, “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become,” the news release states.

The court acknowledged the victim’s strength in coming forward and speaking up.

“It is important she sees herself as a survivor, because that is what she is,” Judge Gerald L. Harmon said.

The court noted that five of the eight years that the defendant was ordered to serve are mandatory and that the defendant would have to register with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life.