Girls' rapes draw 24 years in prison

A 36-year-old Champlin man was found guilty of raping two girls, 4 and 6.

Last update: July 23, 2008 - 11:36 PM

A Champlin man found guilty of raping two girls 4 and 6 was sentenced to 24 years in prison in Hennepin County District Court on Wednesday.

Kenneth Atkinson, 36, will also have to register as a sexual offender.

"Both of my girls still have nightmares of Mr. Atkinson and cry every night," the girls' father told the court in his victim impact statement. "There is no sentence that will make this OK."

The charges were brought against Atkinson -- a live-in boyfriend of the girls' mother -- after the two girls notified their uncle that Atkinson made them take off their clothes. Later in an interview with a child abuse evaluator, the girls claimed that Atkinson repeatedly raped them.

A search of the home shared by Atkinson and the girls' mother netted pornographic videos.

Atkinson maintained his innocence in court, telling Judge Lloyd Zimmerman that the jury was stacked against him and that he felt he "didn't get a fair shake."

"If you look at my record, a lot of the crimes I have committed have been violent crimes," Atkinson told the judge before being sentenced. "This is not something I am capable of."

Hennepin County court records show Atkinson had previously been found guilty of multiple assault charges and for the malicious punishment of a child.

Zimmerman said his decision was guided by "horrific evidence" of a man whom the girls regarded as someone they could trust and who ended up taking advantage of them.

RODRIGO ZAMITH

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