A 40-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping his stepdaughter. Over the course of several months, the defendant sexually abused the 11-year-old girl while her mother was away at work, IPN reports.

According to prosecutors, it happened in the north of Moldova between February and May 2024. The man often forbade the girl to go to school so as to spend time with her when the concubine was at work.

For seven years, he had been in concubinage with the girl's mother and they had a common son.

In court, the man denied his guilt. The judges, however, found him guilty and sentenced him to 15 years in a closed prison.

The sentence is not final and can be challenged in the Balti Court of Appeals.