Noel Anderson of McKinney, Texas, pleaded guilty to “continuous sexual abuse of a child” and will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole.

“Anderson sexually abused multiple children who he had ongoing access to over a period of several years through his church,” the Collin County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “His five victims ranged in age from 18 months to 6 years old.” He targeted his victims through church activities, where he acted as a teacher for children ages 7-8.

Prosecutors described the church primary teacher as a “serial child molester.” According to reporting by MyTexasDaily, Anderson admitted his guilt and explained that he “targeted children he thought would not disclose the abuse.” An error in that estimation resulted in a child telling his/her mother, which led to the investigation.

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis commended the victims for their heroism. “We’re grateful for these brave children, as their courage helped lock up a serial child predator,” he said.