Ex gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar jailed for up to 175 years for sexual assault

The sentence was delivered on Wednesday.

Former USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar has been sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in jail for sexually assaulting young athletes in his care. Nassar had already pled guilty in November to molesting seven girls who were in his care to be treated. More than 150 women came forward to speak at the week-long sentencing hearing, saying that they had been abused by him. Two dozen more women submitted private letters to the court. According to the Guardian, the hearing was initially meant to last for four days - but due to the number of survivors who wanted to tell their story, it went into a second week. As Judge Rosemarie Aquilina delivered her decision, she said:

“It is my honor to sentence you because, sir, you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again. “Anywhere you walk, destruction would occur to those most vulnerable. “I just signed your death warrant.”

She said that the sentence not only reflected the counts to which he had already pled guilty, but also the survivors who had come forward during the sentencing, “because the depth of all of your crimes have cut into the core of this community”. The physician made a short statement before the judge delivered the sentence, acknowledging the "pain, trauma and emotional destruction" that his victims had experienced. He said:

“Your words these past several days have had a significant emotional effect on myself and have shaken me to my core. “I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days.”

After Nassar concluded, the judge said:

"Sir, I hope that's true."

Nassar had previously been sentenced to 60 years in prison in a separate case regarding child abuse images.