Ex-Bensalem Physicist Sexually Abused Girl

BENSALEM, PA — A Bucks County jury has convicted a New Jersey man of sexually abusing a girl from the time she was 8 years old when he lived in Bensalem.

Thomas Padikal, 71, was found guilty Friday of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child and related crimes.

The charges stemmed from Padikal's years-long abuse of the girl, beginning around 2007, when she was 8 years old. The abuse happened on a nearly daily basis for more than two years, until the girl moved away and he no longer had access to her, prosecutors said.

Padikal worked as a physicist in the radiology and oncology fields in the Bensalem area before moving to New Jersey.

In text messages and a phone call recorded by Bensalem Township Police, Padikal told his victim, who is now an adult, that he "sacrificed" himself for her sexual education.

"The defendant has managed to rationalize the unthinkable," said Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy. "He never banked on (the victim)’s bravery. He never banked on justice."

Prosecutors showed evidence that, in the years after the girl moved, Padikal followed her on social media, created a website devoted to his obsession with her and kept a PowerPoint file containing pornographic images of the victim's face superimposed on the bodies of grown women.

He was arrested in November with the help of New Jersey State Police.

The jury on Friday delivered its verdict after deliberating for less than half an hour, following a 2 1/2-day trial. Judge Raymond F. McHugh revoked Padikal's bail and ordered a mental health assessment and pre-sentence investigation.

His sentencing is expected in about 60 days.