Man gets five years for child assault

BY STACI WILSON

The mother of a four-year-old sexual assault victim directly addressed the perpetrator as he was being sentenced Thursday in Susquehanna County Court.

“I hate you. I will never forgive you. I hope you get what’s coming to you,” said the tearful mother to Michael Joyce, 40, Endicott, N.Y.

Joyce was sentenced by President Judge Kenneth Seamans to serve five to 10 years on an aggravated assault of a child, under the age of 13 to be followed by five years probation on a corruption of minors – sexual nature count for a Jan. 23, 2011 incident that occurred in Great bend Twp.

The Times-Tribune does not identify the victims of sexual assault.

Joyce had been scheduled to go to trial in June 2012 but failed to appear for jury selection. He was then remanded to jail on $75,000 bail.

He entered guilty pleas to the two counts he was sentenced on in November 2012.

In addition to the victim’s mother, the child’s grandmother also spoke at the sentencing hearing about the negative impact Joyce’s actions has had on the child.

“You destroyed the innocence of (a child). She lives in fear that she will see you again even though we reassure her that she will never see you again,” she said. “Even though I’m a Christian, I will never find it in my heart to forgive you.”

Joyce offered no statement prior to his sentencing.

In addition to the prison sentence, he faces a lifetime requirement to register as a sexual offender and was ordered to comply with the provisions of the Adam Walsh Act.