NJ judge imposes strict sentence after 11-year-old outs child rapist

✅ John Gillespie Jr. was initially charged in February 2023

✅ Charges were added when an 11-year-old girl came forward

✅ Gillespie is subject to the Jessica Lunsford Act

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — A former Boy Scout volunteer found with over 1,800 images of child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.

John Gillespie Jr., 35, of the North Cape May section of Lower Township, was charged in  February 2023 after images were found uploaded to his Google account, a tablet and external hard drive, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland. He was initially charged with possession of images of child sexual abuse material.

Additional charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child after a then 11-year-old girl told the Lower Township Police Department she had been sexually assaulted by Gillespie for three years starting in February 2020, according to the prosecutor. The girl came forward after the initial charges were made public.

Gillespie must serve 15 years per the Jessica Lunsford Act for the sexual assault
charge and a consecutive term of 10 years for the endangering the welfare of a child charge.

Gillespie is also subject to Megan's Law and parole supervision for life as part of the sentence.

Garden State Council Scout Executive Patrick Linfors said Gillespie was banned from all scouting activity upon his arrest and his registration revoked. He said earlier that none of the children in the images were Scouts.

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