In October, former Dartmouth Police Officer Shawn Souza was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for four child rape convictions. But he was released months later, after the judge who presided over his case called for a new trial.

 

“It’s baffling,” said Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III. “It’s very unsettling and very disturbing to see the process operate this way.”

Prosecutors said one of the victims was as young as six when Souza started repeatedly raping her in 2011. The other, a 15-year-old, accused the then-officer of molesting her in 2013.

 

Originally, Quinn said, the two cases were separate, with the youngest accuser’s case ending in a mistrial in 2022. But Quinn said Judge Thomas McGuire then allowed the two victims’ cases to be heard in one trial.

 

“Then the new judge sat on the trial,” Quinn said. “Nothing was raised by the defense. If she felt it was prejudicial, she could have kept that out before the trial, but that’s not what happened.”

 

In October, the new jury found Souza guilty on four different child rape charges. Both victims gave impact statements at sentencing.

 

See more at wpri.com.