Man sentenced to two years after admitting to child rape

LYNN – An “intellectually limited” Malden man will spend two years in state prison after pleading guilty to raping an intellectually disabled teenager in September.”This is a very difficult case in which to sentence,” Salem Superior Court Judge Howard Whitehead said Tuesday afternoon. “If you have a child who is intellectually limited, it is, as counsel said, the parents’ worst nightmare to have this happen. If you have a child that is intellectually limited on the other side, it is the parents’ equal nightmare to have that child become involved as the perpetrator.”Andie Jean, 23, of Malden, pleaded guilty to rape of a child with force; and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older.Jean and a friend were at the latter’s home in Saugus, when Jean was left alone on the porch. The friend returned and couldn’t find Jean but noticed the door to his sister’s room – the sister is a teenager but has the intellectual capacity of a 7-year-old – was closed.The friend opened the door and found his sister wearing only a bra. Jean was hiding in the closet and pulling up his pants. He said, “my bad.”Jean later admitted to Saugus police that he had raped the victim, and the victim described being raped and sexually assaulted in an interview with police.Jean was very polite in court Tuesday, answering “yes, your honor,” to each of Whitehead’s questions about whether he (Jean) understood the plea and was willingly making the decision to plead guilty.But Jean also repeatedly replied he had meningitis when he was younger when asked whether he had ever been treated for any mental illness.”He does appear to have some intellectual limitations, but does appear to have understood my questions,” Whitehead said. He said the maximum sentence for the rape charge was life in prison. But Whitehead said he would accept the sentence that both defense and prosecution had agreed upon: two years in state prison for the rape charge and five years of probation for the indecent assault and battery charges.Essex Assistant District Attorney Susan Dolhun said the victim’s family was displeased with the sentence, feeling Jean should serve more prison time. But Dolhun said the family respected that the plea meant that the victim would not have to testify.A family member of Jean’s declined to comment on the record after the defendant was taken away in handcuffs. The victim’s family immediately went to a conference room after the plea.