Judge Says Prison 'Inappropriate' For Man Who Sexually Assaulted 4 Teens

A New York judge spared a man who pleaded guilty to multiple sexual assault charges prison time. The Buffalo News reported that Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III ruled that it would be "would be inappropriate" to send Christopher Belter, 20, to jail.

In 2019, Belter pleaded guilty to felony charges of third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse and two misdemeanor charges of second-degree sexual abuse as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. He was accused of sexually assaulting four teenage girls during parties at his house.

Under the deal, Belter would be given two years of interim probation. If he upheld the strict terms of the probation, he would be given a chance to apply for Youthful Offender status.

Last month, Belter admitted that he violated the terms of his probation by installing software to circumvent a pornography blocker on his computer. While Murphy denied Belter Youthful Offender status, he decided against sending him to jail. Instead, Belter will be on probation for eight years.

"I'm not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain. There was great harm. There were multiple crimes committed in the case," Murphy said, according to WKBW. "It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn't appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation."

The judge's decision outraged the attorney for one of the victims.

"I am deeply, deeply disappointed. I expected a different outcome today," Steven Cohen, an attorney for one of the victims, said after the ruling. "Justice was not done today."

Cohen said the decision made his client physically ill.

"My client threw up in the ladies' room following the sentencing," Cohen told NBC News.

Belter will still have to register as a sex offender and has a hearing in December to determine if he is a level one, two, or three sex offender.