Queens Teen Gets 20 Years In Prison For L.I. Sex Attacks
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A teenager from Queens has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for two violent sex attacks last year on Long Island.
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced the sentencing Thursday of 17-year-old Nashane Peterkin of Springfield Gardens.
He pleaded guilty in December to rape, strangulation, assault and other charges in connection with the attacks which both occurred in Valley Stream.
On Aug. 12, 2013, Peterkin assaulted a 30-year-old pregnant woman as she walked on Mill Road from the Long Island Rail Road station, according to police. The victim ran away on Jedwood Place, but Peterkin caught up with her, pushed her to the ground and punched her in the face, police said. He then tried to rip off the victims's shirt and pin her to the ground, but the woman was able to fight off Peterkin, who then fled the scene on a bicycle, police said. The victim was treated at an area hospital for scrapes and cuts to her arms and legs.
On Sept. 1, 2013, Peterkin raped a 61-year-old woman as she walked on a hiking path in Valley Stream State Park. Prosecutors said he strangled the woman to the point of unconsciousness, dragged her off the path into a wooden area where he beat and raped her.
"Women should be able to take a stroll in the park or walk home from the train station without fear of being the victim of a violent predator," Rice said. "While the physical and emotional trauma inflicted by Nashane Peterkin on these women will never be erased, this defendant will be in prison for a long time where he will not be able to terrorize his victims or violate a community's sense of safety."
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