MACON, Ga. — A man who sexually assaulted a non-verbal child with autism was sentenced on Thursday.

The Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that Richard Burke, 53, was sentenced to 30 years, with the first 19 years to be served at the Georgia Department of Corrections.

The release said that in November 2023, Burke was living in the same house as the child’s mother, and serving as a babysitter for the child. Burke was the mother's ex-boyfriend, according to the release.

The mother reported him to the police for sexually assaulting the child, who was four years old.

She showed the Byron Police Department security footage, which “revealed him sexually assaulting the child,” according to the release.

Police took Burke’s two cell phones, and after se

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