A Plainfield resident has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison for sexually assaulting an underage girl multiple times over the course of seven years, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Thursday.
Clark Gilliam, 35, was sentenced Thursday morning by state Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim.
Gilliam’s February 2014 arrest was the result of a Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit investigation of a case referred to it by the Plainfield Police Division, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Barnes, who prosecuted the case.
The investigation revealed that the sexual assaults began when the victim was 6-years-old, Barnes said.
Following a June 2016 trial lasting two and a half weeks and jury deliberations lasting two days, Gilliam was found guilty of charges including first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Calling the crimes “horrible and barbaric,” Peim ruled that Gilliam must serve at least 85 percent of his 30-year term before becoming eligible for parole. Upon his release Gilliam also will be required to be registered as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and be subject to parole supervision for life.