He says he sexually abused girl for years because of ‘lust.’ He’s now going to prison for life

A Sarasota man was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a girl when she was between the ages of 10 and 14.

Following a four-day-long trial, William Lawrence Porath, 56, was found guilty of sexual battery on a child less than 12 years old, sexual battery upon a child 12 years or older, lewd and lascivious molestation upon a child less 12 years old, lewd and lascivious molestation, battery, and three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child older than 12 but less than 16 years of age.

Porath was sentenced to life in prison by Circuit Judge Charles Roberts following the verdict.

“What the victim went through as a child is horrific. She is incredibly brave for coming forward and testifying against her abuser,” Assistant State Attorney Ryan Felix said in an issued statement. “She intends to enter the United States military with the goal of becoming a Marine. I can’t imagine a more courageous person to protect and serve our country.”

Porath sexually abused the girl repeatedly when she was between the ages of 10 and 14. During his trial, she detailed the abuse for the jury .

The jurors also heard a recorded phone call between Porath and the victim, during when she questioned why he had sexually abused her, according to the State Attorney’s Office. Porath would not answer his victim during the call, fearing he was being recorded by police but the jury was shown a text message he later sent her mother that read, “The answer is lust.”

Sarasota police first arrested Porath on March 2 after a two-month-long investigation into the allegations. The girl and her mother went to police in January, several months after she had first disclosed the abuse.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 12:35 PM with the headline "He says he sexually abused girl for years because of ‘lust.’ He’s now going to prison for life."