Burlington Man Convicted of Aggravated Rape of a Child

A Burlington man was convicted of sexual abuse on a child following a three-day trial in Woburn Superior Court, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced on Wednesday.

Ryan said that Thomas Bergeron, 59, of Burlington, was found guilty of aggravated rape of a child, rape of a child with force, and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14.

Following the guilty conviction, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd set a sentencing hearing for August 21 at 9 a.m. inside Woburn Superior Court, Room 730.

Police alleged that Bergeron babysat a child family member after school and during overnight visits.

Prosecuting attorney Tom O’Reilly argued during the trial that beginning in 2003 when the victim was five years old, Bergeron began to inappropriately touch her.

Later, Bergeron was accused of initiating sexual conduct with the young girl, and threatening to hurt people she knew if the victim told anyone about the abuse, Ryan said in the announcement.

“The defendant preyed upon a young family member and forced the child to endure years of abuse,” said Ryan. “The horrendous nature of his acts are all the more devastating because he manipulated the child and violated the trust placed in him by family members. He has now been held accountable for his reprehensible behavior.”