Irvin Saunders gets life in prison for child sexual assault

MEDIA COURT – A 70-year-old Chester man convicted in May of his fourth sex offense was given a mandatory sentence Thursday of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Irvin J. Saunders, of the 900 block of Barclay Street, was found guilty of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault on a child under 13, involuntary sexual intercourse with a child and two counts each of assault to jail on a person under the age of 13 and corruption of minors following a jury trial before Common Pleas Court Judge Kevin F. Kelly.

Saunders was arrested in February 2022 after a 13-year-old girl gave a forensic interview that he had sexually abused her since she was 11, according to an affidavit written by Chester Police Officer Jennifer Jones .

That victim, now 15, told Assistant District Attorney Danielle Gallaher on the stand that her file said Saunders had actually abused her since she was 6 years old, but she recalled that the abuse was for a period of about five years, when he was 8 years old. up to 13 years.

All of the assaults took place in Saunders’ bedroom and involved him penetrating her, performing oral sex on her and using sex toys. Investigators recovered sex toys from Saunders’ home during a search.

The victim said the abuse made her feel disappointed and disgusted with herself. She initially told no one because Saunders had told her that if people found out, “everything would be ruined. It was going to be my fault and everyone was going to blame me.”

A second victim, now 11, said she was abused three or four times when she was younger but only remembered one incident in which Saunders touched her outside her underwear while who were watching TV in his room.

Gallaher said Thursday that Saunders had left a trail of “utter devastation and destruction” through his criminal actions, dating back to his first indecent assault conviction in 1990.

Saunders also entered a “no contest” plea to two counts of indecent assault on a person under 13 in 2019. In that case, he was accused of having sexual relations with two girls, ages 11 and 12 years at the time, then warned them as well. don’t tell anyone or they’ll kill them.

Days after that plea, Saunders entered a negotiated guilty plea to another count of indecent assault on a person under 13. He was sentenced to one to two years in prison for both counts, to run concurrently.

Saunders victimized a total of five people, including four children and one of them twice, Gallaher said.

He should have been sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for the most recent prior offense, according to Gallaher, but was instead offered a negotiated deal of one to two years.

While Saunders took advantage of the deal, Gallaher said he didn’t take the opportunity to improve, instead returning to revictimize one of the girls here, as well as gain a new victim.

“He stole the two children’s precious childhoods in this case, and we can’t get that back,” Gallaher said. “He shaped their lives and their development in life-changing ways we can’t even fathom. Their childhood experience was not one of love and joy, but one of enduring abuse, suffering in silence, seeing their family torn apart, being wrapped up in the court system at the behest of children and youth services and mercy courts, and their suffering is not over. He forever left a dark mark on their lives that they will never forget.”

Gallaher noted that the state Sex Offender Review Board determined that Saunders met the requirements to be considered a sexually violent predator, but she did not seek a hearing on the issue given the mandatory life sentences for each charge.

Gallaher asked for a consecutive life sentence on two of those charges Thursday for each victim, with the rest to run concurrently.

Defense attorney Michael Dugan said he understood the court’s hands were tied on the mandatory sentences, but asked that they all be served concurrently.

Saunders gave only a brief statement that he did not believe he was given a fair trial and that he was never provided with any evidence. Judge Kelly said he believed the record would contradict that.

In addition to prison time, Saunders was ordered to provide a DNA sample to state police, register as a sex offender for life and have no contact with the victims.