WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A Worcester man has been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for using a knife to threaten three teenage girls walking to school.

Charles Monroe was sentenced Thursday following his conviction in Superior Court on a variety of charges including aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery and indecent assault and battery. One of the girls told investigators the now 20-year-old Monroe raped her, but he was acquitted of rape charges.

The crimes occurred over an eight-day period beginning on Oct. 20, 2010. The victims said they were confronted by a knife-wielding Monroe while on their way to school.

The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/10wu1nv ) reports that Monroe’s lawyer said his client is remorseful and had a ‘‘very difficult upbringing’’ in war-torn Liberia before moving to the United States when he was 11.

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