CONCORD, NH — A man from Wilton, previously convicted on sexual assault charges last year, had his sentence in prison extended after pleading guilty to two more sets of aggravated felonious sexual assault charges after incidents in 2020 in Danbury and 2022 in Wilmot.
Richard French, 36, was sentenced to four to eight years in prison for raping his ex-girlfriend, Kearra Patten, and an additional one to two years in prison after sexually assaulting a second woman. The sentences will be served consecutively after the end of his first conviction, a three-and-a-half-to-seven-year sentence, after a jury trial, in May 2025, in prior charges forwarded by Patten.
In Merrimack County Superior Court on Thursday morning, after agreeing to the plea, Patten made a victim impact statement, saying the length of the sentences was not enough considering the prior jury trial. She said the prosecution, the defense, and the court system had “lost touch with the act of what a victim is,” saying she was being “silenced and minimized.” The limited sentencing showed all involved were not taking the justice process seriously. It also sent a message to perpetrators that laws were meaningless, she said.
“This man is a repeat sex offender with four prior convictions of sex crimes against me,” Patten said. “The crimes being tried in this case are more violent.”
In the prior case, she said, a jury found him guilty of the first set of rape charges even though he had denied the crimes. Patten was not his only victim, she said. She was distraught and bewildered as to why the case was not brought before a jury. Patten said French should be receiving a 20 to 40-year sentence or life in prison based on her second set of charges and a third set of charges being forwarded by a second victim, not the current offer, which she called “a slap on the wrist.”
A former prosecutor with the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office, Patten claimed, told her they would be going to trial, and her second case was a slam-dunk. He, however, retired, and the second prosecutor appeared to be shuffling the case through, just to get a win and put a notch on her belt, she said.
Patten’s husband, however, had saved her and helped her recover from the abuse, not only from French but also others.
Patten said she had a right to put “every disgusting detail” before a jury, including French raping and strangling her in front of her child, and threatening to “bury me alive if I told anyone,” as well as convincing her that her son witnessing the incident would lead to DCYF taking her children from her. She claimed the current prosecutor told her a false statement made to her son’s father, that her son did not witness the rape, would be used against her in court, and could put the case in jeopardy. A jury was not a sure thing, she said, but “That’s bull… there’s not a jury on Earth that would overlook the fact that you routinely threatened me with taking my kids away, burying me alive, and worse.”
Patten called the presumption “absurd.” The lack of a jury trial, too, limited her rights, she said, while she lived with the damage, the inability to trust men, and the flashbacks and “terrifying mental images.” It was a “total failure for me,” and was like being abused all over again, she said.
Patten said French’s own father admitted to her that he had raped before.
“I have to live with this,” she said. “So does anyone else that he has violated. His victims, like me, will suffer our entire lives from the psychological damage done to us… Offering a plea deal to Richard, allowing him to accept less than full responsibility for his actions, is an absolute abomination and a huge slap in the face to me… remember me? The victim? How many women does he get to destroy? This is not a resolution; this is making it go away.”
Patten was also critical of the defense attorney, saying she could not understand how she would threaten her if the case went to a jury when she was a victim.
“I am the victim of a failed system,” Patten said. “The legal system doesn’t truly care about us. I never sanctioned this plea deal… I was told point-blank it was accepted by the new prosecutor while I was on vacation.”
Patten requested Judge Dan St. Hilaire reject the plea offer and instead direct the prosecution to bring the case to a jury.
She also submitted a letter from a family friend, Scott Long, who requested that the crimes not get a discount on punishment.
Terri Harrington, the prosecuting attorney, confirmed she inherited the case.
She said she “absolutely understands the frustration and anger that was just expressed. However, it’s very difficult to explain to non-lawyers many of the calculations that prosecutors have to make before going to trial.” Harrington did not find anything in the case file indicating a plea deal could not be made, and there was no motion to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office for a potential life sentence request. Harrington said she had worked with the previous prosecutor in Rockingham County and knew he was “very careful not to make promises to anyone involved in our cases; only to present things as we see them and encouragement, when we can.”
The case in question predated the previous jury case, she said. Harrington claimed French’s first defense counsel “was not as vigorous” as she expected the current defense attorney, Aileen O’Connell, to be. She also said DCYF records would demonstrate inconsistencies and the recanting of certain statements, “which, in my experience, would be very problematic in front of a jury.”
Harrington said the plea deal was not about acquiring wins or notches in her belt. She said something was better than nothing, even if it was not enough and “did not reflect the egregiousness of the event she described to you,” adding, “I’m not thrilled presenting this to the court.” She said she “truly feels terrible” about how Patten felt about the plea deal, and she did take them seriously, even if she did not believe that.
Harrington added the second victim had accepted the one-to-two-year plea deal on the third set of charges.
O’Connell did not offer a comment on Patten’s statement.
She assisted French, holding his apology statement while he read from it.
French said he was “truly and deeply sorry” for the pain he caused to both Patten and the second woman. He said he was “truly disgusted with myself. I wish there was something I could do to change the past, and I cannot.” He said he would be working on changing himself for the future, attending programs, including those for sex addiction, while in prison. French said if he could go back and change his poor choices, he would.
“I know I have made mistakes,” French said. “I have caused you both pain, hurt, and suffering that I cannot take back. I wish I could.”
St. Hilaire said while he understood Patten’s frustration, he had reviewed the records and investigatory documents — including other information not accessible to a jury. There were certain things that could be presented to a jury that might lead to not guilty verdicts, he added. St. Hilaire said there were conflicting statements, not only with DCYF but also with investigators who were “not on the same page.” St. Hilaire said, “I don’t mean to seem harsh… but it is true that getting something is better than getting nothing. I would rather see this person convicted, serving in state prison, than walking away.” Eight and a half years “was not unreasonable, in total,” St. Hilaire said, and he found no extended term request or actions.
Harrington clarified the prior conviction predated these current charges, so they were not subject to the life sentence provision.
St. Hilaire accepted the agreement and French was then sent back to prison.
In January 2022, French pleaded guilty to two reckless conduct charges after firing a gun inside his home on Waukeena Lake Road in Danbury, where he was living at the time, according to court records.
According to an affidavit, police were sent to the home in March 2021 for a report of a home invasion robbery where a person was reportedly shot.
French told police he and a friend were having dinner when he heard noises upstairs in his home. After seeing shadows, he fired his Kel-Tec 9 mm handgun at least twice at the shadows. His friend, however, told police he had not seen shadows in the home and hid during the incident in order not to get shot by French. Police searched the home and found no one inside. They were able to find the bullet holes in the home.
During the course of the investigation, police learned French had been using crystal methamphetamine prior to firing the gun, the report stated. Police found French’s glass pipe beside his bed as well as white powder on a plate. French admitted the pipe and drugs were his, and he was arrested.
French received two 12-month jail sentences, suspended for two years, with 50 hours of community service. A third reckless conduct charge was nolle prossed.
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