November 3, 2009 Beverly man pleads guilty to molesting child

SALEM, Mass. (AP) - A Beverly man has been sentenced to up to 3½ years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a Peabody boy numerous times when he was between the ages of 6 and 8.

Prosecutors called the actions of 31-year-old Shawn Finnegan "despicable, horrific and unimaginable" in Salem Superior Court on Monday.

Prosecutors say Finnegan was a clean-cut professional mortgage broker who befriended the boy's older sister and his troubled family, posing as a mentor. He began inviting the boy to spend nights at his apartment, where he would molest the boy, now 11.

The Salem News reports that Finnegan's defense lawyer asked for a lighter sentence because her client had no prior record and was taking responsibility for his actions.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)