The child was sexually assaulted by a fellow student in what New Hampshire judge has described as a “brutal act of physical violence” in a seldom-used hallway of the high school on Sept. 30, 2015. But it wasn’t until the suspect was sentenced as an adult last week that the incident was shared with the public.

The mayor of Manchester, N.H., and the city’s school officials are under fire for failing to notify parents that a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted inside Manchester High School West in 2015, and because the mayor first asked about the race of the suspect, according to published reports.


An outgoing school official told WMUR-TV that the mayor was informed about the incident in 2015, and that Gatsas’s first question was not about the victim. “The mayor’s first words back to me was to ask what color the boy was,’’ David Ryan, who is stepping down as assistant superintended for the city’s schools.

Gatsas, who serves as the chairman of the city’s school committee, denied asking about the “color” of the student, but did say he inquired “whether it was a racial situation.’’ He told WMUR that he believed that was an appropriate inquiry for him to make as mayor.

“As mayor, I had to know if we had a racial incident. That has to be something that I should know,’’ Gatsas told the station.

Gatsas, school officials and the Manchester police are also under fire for failing to provide any public notification of the incident until last week when Hillsborough County Attorney Dennis C. Hogan announced that the suspect, who was 17 years old at the time of the assault, was tried and sentenced as an adult.

According to New Hampshire state prison records, Bryan E. Wilson, is now serving a 10-to-20-year sentence with an earliest parole date of 2026. He was convicted in Hillsborough County Superior Court North in April, but was not sentenced until last week, according to published reports.


In a summary of the case, Hogan described the attack on the girl. “The victim testified that once in the hallway Wilson physically overpowered her and forced her to engage” multiple sexual acts against her will.

“The victim described being frozen in shock throughout most of the assault as she cried and repeatedly told the defendant to stop what he was doing,’’ according to prosecutors, who also noted that DNA testing found a match to Wilson.

The victim testified at the trial and delivered a victim impact statement. According to the prosecutor’s statement, the judge called the girl “courageous” and applauded her “poise, strength, and bravery.” The judge, who was also heard from Wilson before sentencing, called the assault “brutal act of physical violence’’ and rejected defense claims it was a misunderstanding.

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe.