Church Youth Leader Gets Life in Prison in Easton Abuse Case
By Erik Potter
“I want people to know that they are safe from Paul Hawksley.” The child that Hawksley repeatedly and forcibly raped eight years ago has been waiting years to be able to say that. After coming forward in 2010 with his story of sexual abuse at the hands of an Easton church youth leader, the young man, whose name is not being published because he is the victim of a sex crime, has watched the criminal case against Hawksley wend slowly through the justice system. When he heard the verdict on Monday – guilty on all counts – he cried. “I was in tears. I was overjoyed,” he said in a phone interview with The Enterprise. “I’m working on putting back the pieces and getting my life back together. This gets me a lot closer. Closure is what I’m feeling now.” Hawksley, 43, of Mansfield, was convicted in Fall River Superior Court on one count of rape of a child with force, two counts of statutory rape of a child and one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. He was sentenced to life in prison. Hawksley volunteered as a youth leader for the Free Evangelical Fellowship church in Easton in 2003 and 2004, working with sixth-grade boys, whom he befriended. He chose one boy for particular attention, calling him at home, taking him to a Pawtucket Red Sox game and buying him gifts. A jury concluded that Hawksley also repeatedly raped the child, including once in the church bathroom. Superior Court Justice Thomas F. McGuire sentenced Hawksley to life in prison for rape of a child with force, 20-30 years concurrent on one of the statutory rapes, followed by 10 years of probation, with many conditions to commence on and after the imposed sentence for the remaining two charges. In a separate case in 2006, Hawksley pleaded guilty to four counts of statutory rape, four counts of indecent assault on a child under 14 and four counts of indecent assault on a child older than 14. His prison term had expired on those convictions at the time of his sentencing Monday. Erik Potter may be reached at epotter@enterprisenews.com
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