Man sentenced to life in rape of two deaf girls

By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

A Medford man was sentenced today to life in prison plus 10 to 12 years for raping two deaf children, a sentence prosecutors said fit the horrendous nature of his crimes.

Philip Duffy, 48, was found guilty in Middlesex Superior Court in August after a 10-day trial of eight counts of rape of a child, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, and posing a child in a state of nudity.

Duffy will be eligible for parole on his life sentence after 15 years, but even if he were granted parole, he would still face the additional 10- to 12-year sentence, prosecutors said.

“Philip Duffy preyed on two young, vulnerable children, and horribly changed their lives forever. There are no more disturbing crimes than the abuse of our children, and this life sentence is reflective of the devastation that this defendant inflicted on these children and their families,” Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said in a statement.

He said the judge in the case sent “a clear message that those who are found guilty of such despicable crimes against our children will be punished as such -- and a life sentence is certainly appropriate based on the heinous nature of these crimes and the extreme vulnerability of these victims.”

Duffy abused one of the young girls for nearly four years, beginning when she was 12 years old. The assaults occurred at his home on various occasions. Prosecutors would not describe his relationship with the two young girls, but said they knew each other when the rapes began. He was indicted in May 2006.

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