36-year-old Fall River man sentenced to prison for repeated indecent assault on girlfriend’s five-year-old daughter

A 36-year-old Fall River child molester was sentenced to prison last week in Fall River Superior Court, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Hans Joachim pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court on January 31 to indictments charging him with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14.

On December 6, 2019, the child disclosed to school personnel that her mother’s boyfriend had molested her on multiple occasions, beginning when she was just five years old. She told investigators Joachim would enter her bedroom on occasion, sexually molest her and tell her never to tell her mother about their secret. The child was later taken to Charlton Memorial Hospital for an evidence collection kit. Saliva was found to be present on the child’s external genital swab and in her underpants. The genital swabs were a match to Joachim.

Joachim was sentenced to serve nine-and-a-half to 10 years in state prison, followed by eight years of supervised probation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith.

“The defendant repeatedly molested this very young victim by taking advantage of his relationship with her mother. He engaged in very deviant and disturbing behavior, and he needed to be kept off the streets to protect the victim and her family,” District Attorney Quinn said.