Matthew Cargill - Repeat Sex Offender - MySpace Predator

One of Hawaii's first Internet sex cases ended Monday with a one-year prison sentence.

That will mean early freedom for a dangerous sexual predator, prosecutors said.

It was among the first cases where the suspect met the victim on MySpace.com.

With more than three years in court, the case showed how difficult it can be to get a tough sentence when the victim pretended to be someone older online, KITV reported.

Matthew Cargill, 32, claimed he was 18 on the Internet. He met up with a 15-year-old claiming she was 16.

"I don't think anybody should be able to go through what I went through," the victim said in court.

In the three years since his arrest, Cargill went through sex offender and substance abuse treatment. His victim sought treatment for her mental suffering.

"How could you have done something so terrible to my daughter?" the victim's mother asked Cargill in court. "He's been able to continue on his life, while her life is still living in a prison on her own."

"There's no way I can give you guys back what was taken," Cargill said.

The prosecutor said Cargill had a disturbing history, including indecent exposure and stealing underwear.

"The defendant is a sexual predator. He is a danger to the children of this community and he is a time bomb waiting to happen," Deputy Prosecutor Thalia Murphy said.

Cargill's lawyer said in this case he was enticed and fooled by the victims MySpace persona.

"We want to fight about this in court. This is going to be embarrassing to her family. I want to avoid this," defense attorney Myles Breiner said.

Judge Karen Ahn gave Cargill the minimum sentence under the plea agreement, one year in jail with five years probation.

"You are forewarned that you will be very closely monitored," Ahn said.

In the three years since Cargill became involved in one of Hawaii's first Internet sex cases, the law has been toughened considerably. If convicted of the same conduct now, Cargill would have automatically received 10 years in prison.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte