Convicted Child Molester in Texas Gets 870 Years

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A convicted child molester in South Texas who tried to bribe the victim to get her to drop the case has been sentenced to 870 years in prison.

A judge in San Antonio on Tuesday sentenced Melvin Robert Martin to seven 50-year terms, 25 20-year terms and two 10-year terms in prison. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Jurors in October convicted the 37-year-old Martin of aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child by contact and indecency with a child by exposure. The victim, who was 8 years old when the abuse started, was molested numerous times between 2000 and 2009.

Prosecutors say Martin was in jail when he called relatives of the victim and offered $10,000 to get her to recant.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.