New Bedford Man Sentenced for Molesting 11-Year-Old

A New Bedford man has been convicted of molesting a young girl.

Thirty-year-old Aaron Costa was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14 years old following a two-day jury trial in New Bedford District Court.

He was sentenced on Thursday to consecutive two-and-a-half-year sentences at the House of Correction, the maximum sentence allowed in the District Court.

The incidents happened in 2015 when the victim was 11 years old.

Prosecutors say Costa was a friend of the victim's family. The victim disclosed the molestation to her mother after her mother had talked to her about "stranger danger" and inappropriate touching.

District Attorney Thomas Quinn says he's pleased with the jury's verdict, and commended the victim and her mother for their perseverance in the case, despite multiple court hearings and continuances over the last three years.