NORTHAMPTON — A South Hadley man has been sentenced to eight to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to raping and abusing a child in the 1990s.
Gary Mackechnie, 60, of South Hadley, pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court Thursday to two counts of rape and abuse of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
The charges stem from incidents that occurred in Granby between August 1990 to August 1992, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s office. The alleged victim, a girl, was ages 12 and 13 at the time of the assaults.
“The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the strength, courage and resolve of the victim in this case, and hopes that this sentence brings her some measure of justice and helps her continue to heal,” Assistant District Attorney Caleb Weiner said in a statement.
Weiner prosecuted the case.
Mackechnie was indicted on the charges by a grand jury in December 2015. He originally pleaded not guilty to the charges in January 2016.
According to court documents and prosecutors, Mackechnie, then in his 30s, allegedly had sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with the victim between Aug. 23, 1990, and Aug. 22, 1992, resulting in the rape and abuse of a child charges.
He allegedly indecently assaulted and beat the girl between the same dates, which led to indecent assault and battery charges on a child under 14, according to the indictments. The incidents were reported to Granby police in 2011.
Mackechnie was also sentenced to five years of probation with numerous conditions upon his release from prison.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.