# Elderly Man Convicted of Rape on a Child Won’t Spend Time in Prison



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

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CHICOPEE, MASSACHUSETTS (WWLP) The 75-year old man was found guilty back in September, but he was sentenced this week in Hampden County Superior Court. It is that sentence that sent shock waves through the neighborhood in Chicopee where he lives. 
Norman Lapointe, neighbor of sex offender said, "I don't feel justice has been served. The victims have not been protected." Norman Lapointe has lived in this Chicopee neighborhood off Burnett Road for 30 years. He learned two years ago that a man who lives one street over accosted the 11-year-old girl next door and raped her. But that man won't be spending any time in prison for the crime. "I would think that if a person raped a woman, whether it was an adult or a child, they'd be subject to going to jail and here it is it seems more serious doing that to a young child."

Maximiliaan Van Ossenbruggen was convicted of indecent assault and statutory rape on a child under the age of 14 back in September. He was recently sentenced to ten years probation and two years of house arrest.

In this small tight-knit neighborhood, the news that Ossenbruggen won't serve time in prison is not only shocking, but disheartening as well. Neighbors say they don't believe the sentence was fair. "Even after he's found guilty of something so serious on a young child, he's let out on parole walking around the neighborhood."

Van Ossenbruggen lives at 9 Downey Street. He's a familiar face in the neighborhood where some of the neighbors even describe him as friendly. But one neighbor told us that kids who lived nearby were often seen in his garage while he fixed their bicycles. Now many of the families here are wondering whether it's still safe to raise their kids.

Many of those families, as we mentioned, are wondering why Van Ossenbruggen did not receive a tougher sentence. 22News did speak with one local attorney who wanted to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of this case. He said, obviously he's not sure whether this played a role in the judge's decision, but that sometimes judge's partially base the sentence on the fact that providing medical care


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