A former New Hampshire youth detention center leader received a 20- to 40-year prison sentence Monday for holding down a 14-year-old boy during a sexual assault in 1998.
Bradley Asbury, 70, was convicted in November on two counts of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Before sentencing, Asbury maintained his innocence and announced plans to appeal.
Judge William Delker imposed the sentence after noting that Asbury’s position of authority “compounds the seriousness” of his actions. Despite character witnesses describing Asbury as a devoted family man, Delker said the defendant “crossed a line that cannot be crossed.”
Prosecutors proved Asbury, while serving as house leader, restrained Michael Gilpatrick on a staircase while other staffers sexually assaulted the teen. Gilpatrick, now 41, testified about struggling to cope with the attack for years.
Asbury’s case stems from a broader investigation launched in 2019 into abuse at the detention center. Eleven former staffers face criminal charges. Of those cases reaching trial, there have been two convictions and two mistrials.
Earlier this month, Stanley Watson was convicted of three counts of aggravated sexual assault against two boys. A separate trial for Stephen Murphy, charged with assaulting Gilpatrick while Asbury restrained him, ended in a hung jury.
Records show Asbury was previously fired in 1994 from a pre-trial facility in Concord over physical and psychological abuse allegations. He successfully sued for reinstatement with back pay before transferring to Manchester, where he worked until 2001.
The criminal investigation has sparked extensive civil litigation. Over 1,100 former residents have filed lawsuits alleging decades of abuse. In May, a jury awarded former resident David Meehan $38 million, though the state seeks to reduce the amount to $475,000.
Kelly Gilpatrick, the victim’s wife, addressed Asbury before sentencing, stating “the jury saw through you” and noting the lasting impact of his actions.
Defense attorney David Rothstein had requested consideration of Asbury’s age and character references during sentencing. During trial, Rothstein claimed the allegations were “virtually impossible to commit.”
