Swansea man sentenced to prison in Fall River for raping and molesting juvenile relative who cut her wrists and arms

A 44-year-old Swansea man was sentenced to serve up to three decades in prison yesterday after being convicted at trial this week of raping and molesting a juvenile biological relative for several years, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Brad Johnson was convicted by Judge Thomas McGuire during a jury-waived trial in Fall River Superior Court on Tuesday of indictments charging him with Rape of a Child by Force, Assault with Intent to Rape a Child and four counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Person Under the Age of 14.

  Johnson was sentenced on Wednesday morning by Judge McGuire to serve 20 to 30 years in state prison.

Johnson was accused of routinely sexually molesting his young female relative between November 2015 and May 2021, when the girl was between the ages of eight and 13. The allegations finally came to the attention of the authorities in June 2021 after the victim’s mother noticed the victim had been cutting her wrists and arms.  When she confronted her daughter about the cutting, the victim told her mother what Johnson had been doing to her for years at his Walker Street home.  The victim, just prior to her mother seeing the cuts on her wrists, had also confided in a close friend about the abuse.

The victim, her mother and the close friend all testified during the trial.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Danielle Pixley and Caleb Weiner.

“The facts of this case are both reprehensible and heartbreaking. The defendant repeatedly molested the victim over a five-year period, starting when she was just eight years old.  He should have been loving and protecting her, especially at such a young age.  He breached her trust by repeatedly sexually assaulting her and changed her life forever,” District Attorney Quinn said. “However, I admire the victim’s perseverance and fortitude in dealing with this incomprehensible situation.  After speaking with her after sentencing, I know she is moving forward with her life and has a great future.  I hope this conviction and lengthy prison sentence will give her and her family closure, so that she can put this tragedy behind her and have a productive life.”