A northern Idaho judge has rejected a request for leniency by a Priest River man who sexually abused a girl for about five years starting when she was 3 years old.
Dayle Scott Westra had sought a reduction of his sentence of 20 years with at least two and a half years before he was eligible for parole. Westra argued at a hearing last month that the sentence by Judge Charles Hosack was too severe for a first-time offender. Westra had previously pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.
But Judge Steve Verby, presiding over the reconsideration hearing, ruled the initial sentence was not unreasonable. Verby noted that the Westra began having intercourse with the girl when she was 8 and at one point threatened to kill her. (AP)
