Lynn man confesses to rape, gets 10 years in jail

LAWRENCE – A Lynn man who was about to go on trial for raping an 8-year-old girl instead opted to change his plea and confess, receiving 10 years in state prison with 10 years of probation.Ronald Taylor, 54, a security guard formerly of 44 Lambert Ave., pleaded guilty Monday morning in Lawrence Superior Court to rape of a child with force and unnatural and lascivious acts on a child under 16 before Judge Leila R. Kern.The confession was the result of a concession reached between Assistant District Attorney Kristen R. Buxton and defense lawyer Michael T. Phelan, with the understanding the offer was so the victim would not have to testify.Taylor admitted that he raped and committed unnatural acts on the 8-year-old girl in his residence on Sept. 22, 2006.While on probation, Taylor is to register as a sex offender as the law applies, receive sex offender treatment and counseling, have no contact, directly or indirectly with his accuser or her grandmother and have no unsupervised contact with children under age 16. He also will be monitored by a GPS tracking system while under their supervision.The judge credited Taylor the 93 days he had spent in jail while held on bail awaiting trial.