A 73-year-old Swansea man who repeatedly raped two of his young female relatives in his home was convicted after a week long trial in Fall River Superior Court yesterday. and sentenced to serve 25 to 30 years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Lawrence Lamphier was convicted by a jury of his peers of four counts of rape of a child-aggravated by age, two counts rape of a child by force and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14 years of age. The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning its verdicts.
The two victims, one of whom was four to six years old during the rapes and the other who was seven to nine years old during the sexual assaults, both testified at trial about multiple digital, vaginal and anal rapes that occurred in the defendant’s home between 2012 and 2014.
After the victims disclosed the sexual assaults to their mother in June of 2014, Swansea Police were notified and conducted a rapid investigation into the allegations. The defendant was arrested about a week after the initial disclosure was made.
The case was prosecuted by Second Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman and Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith. During a sentencing hearing yesterday, prosecutors requested a 40 to 50 year state prison term, while the defense argued for 10 years in state prison. Judge Susan E. Sullivan handed down the 25 to 30 year state prison sentence.
“This is a tragic case because 2 young girls were sexually abused by their own grandfather, someone they trusted and loved. Despite the defendant’s age, the sentence imposed by the court is well deserved,” District Attorney Quinn said. “I commend the two young victims for their fortitude in testifying against a family member and I hope this conviction helps them move forward with their lives. I would like to thank the jury for their time and attention to this case.”
