Arlington Karate Coach Pleads Guilty To Indecent Assault And Battery On A Child

WOBURN– An Arlington karate coach has pleaded guilty to charges of indecently assaulting a young student, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan informed the public today.

Thomas Donahue, 53, of Lexington, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn to indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 and enticement of a child under the age of 16.  Middlesex Superior Court Judge Kathe Tuttman sentenced the defendant to 2 ½ years in jail to be followed by 3 years probation.  While on probation, the defendant is ordered to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family, no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16, to not engage in work—paid or volunteer—with children, to undergo a sex offender evaluation and treatment, to comply with the requirements of the Sex Offender Registry and with GPS monitoring.

“This defendant took advantage of his authority as a coach by sexually assaulting a young student, violating the trust placed in him by the victim and her family,” District Attorney Ryan said.  “We commend the victim for coming forward to disclose what happened to her and we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes committed by offenders that target vulnerable children.”

Authorities learned that the defendant taught the victim karate in Spring 2011. On at least one occasion, the defendant asked the victim to meet him in his office after class to help him remove his leg brace.  When the victim agreed to help him, the defendant sexually assaulted her.  Afterwards, he gave her candy and asked her not to tell anyone what he had done.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Katelyn Draper.  The Victim Witness Advocate is Rebecca Auld.  The Child Interview Specialist is Alicia Compitello.