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A California woman, Brittney Lyon, has been sentenced to 100 years to life in prison. The 31-year-old babysitter helped her boyfriend, Samuel Cabrera, sexually abuse four little girls. Two victims were 3, and the others were 7, with two diagnosed with autism and one unable to speak.
Prosecutors said Lyon not only arranged for the girls to be abused but also took part in the acts. She pleaded guilty in May to multiple charges. Her offences included child sexual assault, kidnapping and burglary.
Lyon and Cabrera planned the child abuse by arranging when and where Lyon would bring the kids. She abused them with Cabrera and sometimes alone, even using drugs.
The abuse came to light in 2016 when a 7-year-old told her mother she no longer wanted to go with Lyon. The girl revealed the abuse, leading police to Cabrera.
After a chase, police found a locked box in his car with hard drives holding hundreds of videos. The videos showed Lyon and Cabrera abusing, drugging and assaulting the children with shocking cruelty.
Lyon had also secretly filmed women and girls in store changing rooms, bathrooms and locker rooms. Police later found more victims, including children with special needs. Lyon targeted them through babysitting ads.
“Today’s just sentence ends a despicable chapter that has destroyed innocence and devastated families in San Diego County,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said.
“This defendant was ruthless in posing as a trustworthy babysitter and recruiting autistic children, only to commit the most atrocious acts upon them,” DA Stephan added.
Cabrera was earlier convicted in 2019 and is already serving eight life sentences without parole for the crimes.
Though sentenced to life, parole laws may allow Lyon’s release after 28 years. This raises concerns that her punishment may not match the severity of her crimes.
Social media reactions
Social media users reacted after a Facebook post by DA Summer Stephan shared the update.
“Justice served for Brittney—thank you DA Stephan for holding her accountable! But those kids have suffered severe trauma and will need specialised treatment to overcome the trauma,” wrote one user.
“Thank you for sentencing these monsters – they should never see the light of day and deserve to rot in prison,” wrote another.
“She needs to be executed and so does her bf,” demanded another.