Tiverton registered offender sentenced to prison on two first-degree assaults

Attorney General Peter Neronha announced today that a Tiverton man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve a life sentence at the Adult Correctional Institutions for two first-degree sexual assaults.

At a hearing on August 9, 2023, Superior Court Justice Maureen Keough sentenced 59-year-old Brian Brownell to serve life in prison, with a 20-year consecutive sentence to serve at the ACI. Judge Keough also ordered the defendant have no contact with the victims.

On May 11, 2023, a jury found the defendant guilty of two counts of first-degree sexual assault.

During the trial, the State proved that in May of 2006, the defendant sexually assaulted a woman, who was known to him, at a residence in Newport. The state also proved that in May of 2018, Brownell sexually assaulted a second woman, who was known to him, at a residence in Tiverton.

“With this sentencing, the punishment fits the crimes,” said Attorney General Neronha. “While these victims should be commended for the incredible courage they demonstrated in testifying against their assailant, the fact remains that the incredible pain he caused each of them is lifelong, which is why this life sentence is appropriate. I am grateful for the exceptional work of the Tiverton and Newport Police Departments and the prosecutors in my Office, in this case and in so many others.”

Brownell, who is a registered sex offender, was previously convicted of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14 in Massachusetts in 2000, and possession of child pornography in Rhode Island in 2015.

“This defendant has proven he is beyond rehabilitation, and today’s sentencing reflects the severity of his crimes,” said Tiverton Police Chief Patrick W. Jones. “I want to thank the hard-working men and women of the Tiverton Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office for their diligence in investigating and prosecuting the defendant.”

Assistant Attorney General Eric Batista and Special Assistant Attorney General Erica Rebussini of the Office of the Attorney General and Community Policing Supervisor Jason Head of the Newport Police Department and Detective Seargeant Joshua Pelletier of the Tiverton Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.