Former Sunday school teacher convicted of raping student

A former Freetown Sunday school teacher and substitute teacher was sentenced Wednesday to 30 to 40 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in 2018.

Gilbert Hernandez, 58, was convicted Monday of five counts of rape of a child, aggravated by an age difference of more than 10 years; two counts of forcible rape of a child; four counts of indecent assault and battery; and two counts of disseminating obscene material to a child, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Hernandez knew the girl through the close friendship she had with her son and in her capacity as a substitute teacher in Freetown-Lakeville schools and a Sunday school teacher. He raped and assaulted her in the towns of Freetown, Raynham, Taunton and Lakeville between February and July 2018, according to the prosecutor’s office.

At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the girl told the court how the repeated abuse impacted her life, including the loss of her childhood and friendships. She also said she suffered PTSD flashbacks that made her physically ill and caused her to have nightmares, the prosecutor’s office said.

“The accused took advantage of the relationship between the two families. He was able to gain her trust, which allowed him to have repeated access to her, which resulted in multiple acts of rape and sexual abuse,” Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a statement. “It is particularly infuriating that the accused is her religious education teacher and substitute teacher at her school.”

Hernandez was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised probation, following the completion of his prison term, according to the district attorney’s office.