Oswego Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Child Sex Assault

OSWEGO, IL — A 48-year-old Oswego man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a Kane County jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13 years old, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said Friday.

Mark Hampton, of the 600 block of Mansfield Way, sexually assaulted a young girl he knew between November 2015 and August 2017, according to evidence presented by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Lori Schmidt and Stacey Wittman during the trial. The man was found guilty of four Class X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual abuse of a child by the jury on Oct. 6, officials said.

Hampton will be imprisoned in the Illinois Department of Corrections and is required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, according to the state's attorney's office. He also receives credit for the 84 days he has served in the Kane County jail.

"Harsh sentences in child sex assault cases are necessary to serve as a deterrent because of the long-term emotional scars survivors suffer, most likely for the rest of their lives," Schmidt said in a statement. "Children are exceptionally vulnerable to sexual abuse, and its impact on them most likely will be profound. The most significant injury survivors will suffer is to their mental health. Even years of counseling might not undo the damage caused by child predators. Still, I hope this child can begin to heal and find a place of safety as she grows up."

According to the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act, the Oswego man is required to register as a sexual offender for life in addition to serving his prison sentence.

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