NJ child predator gets prison for sexual assault of an 8-year-old

🚨 A Morris County man has been sentenced to prison for aggravated sexual assault

🚨 The former accountant must serve at least 25 years

🚨 He still faces a separate charge of possessing child porn

PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS — A Morris County man convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a young child has been sentenced to 29 years in state prison.

Amit Bhatt, 43, of Morris Plains was sentenced in superior court on Friday, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

After a three-day trial in January, a jury found Bhatt guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and child endangerment. Bhatt received 29 years for the aggravated sexual assault charge and six years for the other charges, though the sentences will run concurrently.

Bhatt will be ineligible for parole for 25 years, which is the mandatory amount under state law. He will also be registered as a sex offender and be under parole supervision for life when released from prison.

According to prosecutors, Bhatt performed sex acts on a child in his former hometown of Parsippany-Troy Hills in 2017 when the victim was just eight years old. During the assaults, he also touched the child's inner thigh.

The victim reported the crime to the Lyndhurst police in January 2022. The police department then notified the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, which then contacted authorities in Morris County.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office also has its own case against Bhatt. He is charged separately with one count of possession of child porn.

BCPO Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Rebein told New Jersey 101.5 that Bhatt's next court appearance is set for July 17, 2023.

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