People v. Velasquez CA1/5

BACKGROUND

In March 2013, appellant pled no contest to forcible oral copulation upon a child (Pen. Code, § 288a, subd. (c)(2)(B)), forcible lewd acts upon a child (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (b)(1)), and four counts of lewd acts upon a child (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (a)). The charges were based on multiple incidents in which appellant sexually molested the victim, Jane Doe. The incidents took place approximately six years earlier, when appellant was around 17 years old and Doe was around 10 years old. Appellant’s plea did not specify a sentence. At the time of his plea, appellant was informed the maximum aggregate sentence was 20 years imprisonment.

1 Jane Doe’s father made a statement at the sentencing hearing.1 He spoke about other family members and friends who had been victims of sexual assault, and noted none of the perpetrators had been punished. He also spoke about the impact of appellant’s crimes on Jane Doe. He stated she had tried to commit suicide a number of times as a result of the crimes. He also presented the following statement from Jane Doe about the impact of the crime: “Since this incident I have been suffering from depression. I have trouble being around and…