80 YEAR SENTENCE IN ABUSE CASE

Newsday/Samuel Bruchey

Gary Gillard, a 38-year-old Huntington man, was convicted of four counts of first-degree sodomy,first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and third degree assault. He wassentenced to 80 years in state prison with no chance of parole. He sexually abused and sodomizedthe 9-year-old daughter of an acquaintance. Gillard committed the crimes on numerous occasionsbetween May and October 1999. His criminal record dates to 1980 and includes convictions forreckless endangerment, assault and petty larceny. He did not serve any time in jail for thoseoffenses although he did serve a 2 to 4 year sentence in prison for the criminal sale of acontrolled substance. At the time of his arrest in the sex abuse case, he was on parole for thatconviction. During his two-week trial, he refused legal counsel and cross-examined his victimhimself.

(New York)