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Former Catholic school tutor sentenced for sexually assaulting student

Posted at 4:42 PM, Jan 14, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-14 22:23:07-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Abigail Simon was sentenced Wednesday to between eight and 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a then-15-year-old student.

Simon, 35, was convicted in November of three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct and one misdemeanor count of accosting a minor for immoral purposes.  In court Wednesday, she was given credit for time served for the misdemeanor.

Following her release, Simon will have to undergo life-long supervision and register as a sex offender.

In court, the victim's mother said Simon's attorney dragged her family through the mud during the trial.

"Abby used [the victim] to fulfill her perverse desires," she said.

Simon also spoke in court, pleading for a lighter sentence and describing her past experience with domestic abuse while living in Chicago.  During the course of the trial, Simon's defense argued that she was the victim in the relationship with the teen.