Bucks County man pleads guilty to child sexual assault, sentenced to over a decade in state prison
Shawn Burke, 37, of Bristol Township, was sentenced today to 10 to 25 years in state prison after pleading guilty to multiple felony charges related to the sexual assault and corruption of two minor victims.
The sentencing, before Common Pleas Judge Stephen A. Corr, follows an investigation by the Bristol Township Police Department and subsequent prosecution by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. Based on this guilty plea, Burke will be subject to lifetime supervision under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law.
Burke pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual assault of a person under 16 years of age, and two counts each of photographing, filming, or depicting a child on a computer engaging in a sexual act, corruption of minors, indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age, and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
During the sentencing hearing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy presented powerful victim impact statements that detailed the extensive and long-lasting trauma caused by the defendant’s actions. One victim, identifying herself as a “survivor of physical, sexual, and mental abuse,” described how Burke stole her youth and innocence, exposing her to hard drugs at a young age and manipulating her into silence. “This person stole my youth and my innocence from me,” the statement read.
The statements further described the severe psychological toll the crimes took on the young victims. The second victim explained that her “whole perspective on life has changed” since the abuse, leaving her grappling with depression, PTSD, and crippling fear.
