BALTIMORE (WBFF) -- Former Gilman School teacher Christopher Bendann was sentenced Tuesday to spend 35 years in federal prison for sexually abusing a teenage student and cyberstalking him.
According to the Baltimore Sun, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar imposed the sentence, adding a lifetime of supervised release when Bendann leaves prison.
"Mr. Bandann is a violator of private and public trust. He is a criminal. He is a predator," Bredar said.
In August, a federal jury convicted Bendann, 40, of five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of possession of child pornography and one count of cyberstalking.
During closing arguments before conviction, the prosecution said Bendann "spotted vulnerability" and took advantage of it, often calling the victim his "puppy," when he began sexually exploiting the victim in 2017.
Former students testified that they participated in naked runs where Bendann forced them to run unclothed before driving them home.
Others described their relationship with Bendann as "very very close" saying they heard from Bendann every day.
The victim told officials, "being abused by your teacher for years isn't something to be proud of.
The minor student, now 23 years old, chose not to give a victim impact statement on Tuesday. However, his parents spoke on his behalf, begging for the maximum sentence. The boy's mother said the committed crimes have left "wounds that will likely take a lifetime to heal if they ever do." The father said Bendann "could have admitted his guilt and spared us more pain. Why should he get any reduction when he pushed us to trial?" They argued Bendann has shown no remorse, taken no responsibility, and therefore, deserves no leniency.
Bendann's father also addressed the court. He expressed love for his son, and then went on to offer his sympathy and condolences to the victim's family.
Speaking for the first time in open court, Bendann did not offer any apologies. Instead, he doubled down on his innocence, telling the judge he is not guilty of the crimes a jury convicted him of and "far from the monster" he's been painted to be.
In a 9-page sentencing memo, Bendann's attorney argued he was wrongfully villainized throughout the trial. "By every account, he was an amazing teacher and well-respected by everyone he met," wrote his attorney, "It is, therefore, all that more saddening that, based on the evidence adduced at trial, all the good Christopher Bendann achieved at that school has been forever tarnished and vilified by the conduct adduced at trial."
Ultimately, Judge Bredar sided with the prosecution, saying he found Bendann "overly unrepentant and even defiant," which, he felt deserved a "severe sentencing."
The inappropriate relationship between the Gilman student and Bendann allegedly started when the student was just 14 or 15 years old. Now, Bendann won't be released from prison until he's 75.