NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A New Jersey man who fled to England after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child in Montgomery County two decades ago has been sentenced to additional prison time for failing to appear at his 2006 sentencing hearing.
Gerald Zalewski, 43, was sentenced on Monday to an additional 2-to-7 years, on top of the 5-to-20 year state prison sentence he was given in 2006 after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old in Montgomery County.
Zalewski failed to appear at his sentencing hearing in 2006, as he’d fled the country. He resurfaced in England in 2016, when he was convicted of raping another 13 year-old.
After that, he was extradited back to Montgomery County after serving about eight years in prison in England, then sent directly to state prison.
At his latest sentencing hearing, Zalewski’s lawyer argued against additional prison time, blaming his failure to appear in 2006 on youthful indiscretion and fear, and calling it a simple “crime against public administration.”
“That is so offensive to what this victim endured initially at this defendant's hands, and then every single day of the past 20 years,” said prosecutor Samantha Cauffman.
Cauffman argued Zalewski’s failure to appear not only affected the victim and the community, but also pointed to his repeated behavior of child sexual abuse. “He is an absolute danger to society,” she said.
“His conduct in this case and what he did while he was on the run — he's going to keep doing this if he's out on his own.”
