Man gets 15 years for taped sex abuse in Bensenville

An elderly man likely will take his last breath behind bars for molesting a Bensenville child in an act caught on videotape.

Richard A. Duda, 78, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault. The Melrose Park man pleaded guilty Jan. 8 to the Nov. 16, 2006, crime against the 4-year-old girl.

The child's mother secretly set up a nanny camera after becoming suspicious. Duda is seen on the tape molesting the girl while she tries to watch a SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon playing in the background.

Duda faced six to 30 years in prison. In meting out the punishment, DuPage Circuit Judge Blanche Hill Fawell said it was obvious after viewing the tape that it wasn't the first time Duda molested the child.

"It appears as if this victim has been trained, almost like a dog, to perform," Fawell said. "Obviously this wasn't the first time. It appeared almost like a routine."

Fawell added: "I can't imagine what was going through your mind and what would cause you to betray the trust she had in you."

Duda declined a chance Friday to make a statement before being sentenced. His adult daughter testified he is a good father and never exhibited violent behavior in the past. She said he has a lot of age-related medical problems and wouldn't survive in prison.

Duda did not have a prior criminal record. But a young woman testified he had molested her as a child in summer 1988. Duda was never charged with the allegation.

His attorney, Robert Habib, sought leniency, while prosecutors asked for the maximum punishment allowed.

"This defendant is a child molester and sexual predator who is sexually attracted to children," Assistant State's Attorney Demetri Demopoulos said. "That attraction will never be cured. As you have seen, his perversion has been with him since at least 1988. There is little, if any, hope of rehabilitation."

Duda must serve 85 percent of the sentence before being paroled. If he still is alive, he must register as a convicted sex offender upon his release from prison.