A Denver man will spend his life in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter beginning when she was six years old.

Denver District Judge Christopher Baumann sentenced 46-year-old Dion Neal to 164 years in prison following a conviction of nine counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust as part of a pattern of abuse in June, according to a news release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

The victim reported the abuse, which occurred over five years, to the Denver Department of Human Services in July 2022. The victim then underwent a forensic interview at the Denver Safe Center during the same month, according to arrest records.

The victim said the the first sexual abuse she remembers began in 2018, when she was eight years old, and continued until June 2022. Prosecutors stated that the abuse actually began in 2017, when the victim was six years old.

Denver Police Department detectives showed a picture of Neal to the victim and she identified him as the suspect. He was later arrested on charges of sex assault on a child, a class 3 felony.

“I am very pleased with the sentence imposed by Judge Bauman, which should ensure that Mr. Neal will never again be able to harm a young child. My heart breaks for the victim of these heinous crimes and I hope that, over time, she is able to heal from the terrible trauma she suffered. I also want to acknowledge the incredible bravery the victim showed in coming forward and testifying against Mr. Neal,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said in the release.