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NJ Man Sentenced For Molesting Girl, Taking Improper Photos

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A southern New Jersey man who molested a teenage girl and took sexually explicit photos of her while she slept has been sentenced to 14 years in state prison.

Acting state Attorney General John Hoffman says 55-year-old Bernard Cahill of Gloucester Township will also have to register as a sex offender under the sentence imposed Friday and will be on lifetime parole supervision.

Cahill had pleaded guilty in August to charges of sexual assault and distributing child pornography. He received separate 7-year prison sentences for each count, and the terms will be served consecutively.

Cahill was arrested in April 2012 as part of "Operation Watchdog," a multiagency investigation led by the state police and law enforcement officials. While investigating Cahill's sharing of child porn online, authorities discovered sexually explicit images in his computer that he had taken of a 16-year-old girl.

At the time of the criminal conduct, Cahill lived in Folsom.

On multiple occasions, Cahill touched and groped the victim while she slept, and pulled aside her shorts or pulled up her shirt to take photos of her exposed private areas. He also put her hand on his genitals while she slept.

Authorities also say that starting when the victim was 13, Cahill spied on her and took photos of her through her bedroom window while she was alone.

"The fact that Cahill wantonly violated this innocent teenage girl while she was asleep and completely defenseless reveals that he was ready to prey on children when the opportunity presented itself and when he believed he would not get caught," Hoffman said.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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