Victim's Courage Cited in Marblehead Child Sex Assault

MARBLEHEAD, MA — A child sex assault victim's courage was cited after a Marblehead man admitted to sexually assaulting her, filming the atrocity, then posting it online.

Raymond DePaula, 43, last week was sentenced to 20-25 years in prison followed by 10 years probation. He pleaded guilty to raping the girl multiple times between from the time she was 8 years old to the time she was 12. The victim is now 15 years old.

During sentencing in Essex County Superior Court, Judge Richard Welch cited the victim's courage in the case.

DePaula was indicted on rape, child pornography, and gun charges in 2013 after the Department of Homeland Security received a tip he uploaded child porn from his computer at his residence at 23 Puritan Rd.

"Subsequent investigation revealed DePaula had uploaded images of himself sexually assaulting and posing an eight-year old girl," Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in a statement. “This case is a stark reminder that child pornography is never just a computer crime. Each image depicts a child, like the young woman here, being sexually violated and abused. In this case, the hard work of Department of Homeland Security agents and Marblehead Police rescued one child from further abuse and put her on the path to recovery."

Marblehead police said they found "hundreds" of child porn images and multiple unsecured firearms at his residence.

Photo: Raymond DePaula. (Credit: Essex County District Attorney's Office)