Man who raped girl, then fled, given life

The mother of a girl who was sexually assaulted 10 years ago, when she was 12, told a judge of the "very long time full of pain and anxiety" the family endured while her rapist was on the run in England.

That time came to an end Tuesday when James Rankin was sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole after he has served 10 years.

Rankin returned to the United States in September, saying he had found God and was ready to face the charges and accept his punishment.

At the sentencing hearing, Rankin apologized to his victim, now 22, as she sat in the rear of the courtroom with family members. She chose not to address the court or the man who had raped her.

He begged her forgiveness and explained the encounter as the "flawed judgment" of a "young and stupid" man "under the influence of a lustful spirit." He said he fled because he feared the wrath of the girl's father, a Metro Police detective.

Rankin emphasized that he "never threatened her in any way."

Despite the lack of force, the girl's mother told the judge and Rankin of the suffering the victim endured in having to tell what happened to her parents, the police and a grand jury.

"All our lives were in pain and turmoil because of what you did, and then to top it off, it was only to continue because you took the coward's path and ran," she told Rankin.

Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon chastised the 35-year-old defendant for "having a nice life in England while this child was living in hell."

As for Rankin's assertion that he has embraced religion, the mother commented, "We'll see."

"I know many pedophiles turn to the cloak of the Bible for cover," she said, and then warned Rankin, "Do not minister to gain the confidences of future victims and do not take the Lord's name in vain, and do not ever touch another child."

"I'm not somebody who stands in the Barbie Doll aisle of Toys 'R' Us," Rankin responded.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle, however, was unmoved by Rankin's words.

"You're not accepting responsibility," she barked. "All you are doing is making excuses for your actions."

The judge then handed down the mandatory life sentence, then ruled on the only issue that remained -- whether Rankin would be eligible for lifetime supervision on parole because the crime occurred six years before that law was enacted.

She ruled he was.

Defense attorney Donald Green said Rankin returned to the United States in September because it was "the right thing."

"He acknowledged his actions and is ready to take responsibility," Green said.

Rankin fled to Europe using a passport he obtained using a birth certificate he stole from a friend.

Rankin has explained that he lived for a while in France off the earnings from an invention he sold and then moved to London.

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