A 20-year-old man from northern Moldova was sentenced to 11 years in jail for raping his cousin during three years. According to prosecutors, it all started in 2019, when the girl was only 11 years old, IPN reports.

“Pursuing the purpose of satisfying his sexual desire, knowing with certainty that his cousin didn’t reach the age of 14, as in 2019 she was only 11 years old, he applied physical and mental coercion towards her by hitting her over different parts of the body and threatening her with serious danger to her life, and had a number of nonconsensual sexual intercourses with the minor,” reads a press release.

The defendant pleaded not guilty. He will serve his sentence in a closed penitentiary and is to pay court costs.

The sentence can be appealed to a higher court.