A Maysville resident has been found guilty of raping a child.

Quonshe Brimmer, 25, was found guilty of first-degree statutory rape, first-degree statutory sex offense and taking indecent liberties with a minor in Onslow County Superior Court on Thursday. Brimmer was sentenced to a 39-to-48 years in prison. Brimmer, who identifies as a transgender woman, will serve the sentence at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Central Prison for male detainees.

The sex offenses occurred over several months in 2010, according to Assistant District Attorney Kaelyn Avery. The victim was between 5 and 6 years old at the time.

“This was a really long time coming for this family,” Avery said of the case. “To see the relief on their faces ... it’s something that I’ll always remember.”

According to Avery, the jury deliberated for an hour and a half before reaching their verdict of guilty on all three counts at approximately 4:15 p.m.

Presiding Judge Phyllis Gorham sentenced Brimmer on the three charges to be served concurrently, according to Avery. Brimmer was also ordered to lifetime registration as a sex offender.

Brimmer was already serving time for failing to register as a sex offender in a previous case, according to defense attorney Thomasine Moore.

According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Brimmer has been previously convicted in Onslow County of felony crime against nature, felony breaking and entering, felony credit card theft, misdemeanor sexual battery and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2014; felony larceny in 2015; eight counts of felony larceny, two counts of felony larceny over $1,000 and two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon in 2016; and felony extortion and felony failure to register as a sex offender in 2017.

Brimmer’s gender identity was part of the defense Brimmer and Moore presented, according to Avery.

“He was denying these acts because he considers himself homosexual and is currently undergoing a change from his current male gender to a female gender,” Avery said.

The nature of the intercourse involved that led to the rape allegations, Avery said, meant Brimmer’s biological sex was important to the case.

According to Moore, Brimmer is working towards obtaining a sex change, but will not be able to do so while in prison.

Moore said she had no comment about the trial itself, citing the sensitivity of the case.

Avery, however, found the verdict to be a successful one in its treatment of a person accused of raping a child.

“I was pleased that the sentence sends a message of sexual offense against children not being tolerated,” Avery said.

Reporter Maxim Tamarov can be reached at 910-219-8439 or mtamarov@jdnews.com. For digital subscription information, click here.