Despite his plea for leniency, a Bennetts Creek man who sexually abused two teenage relatives for the past several years will spend more than two decades behind bars.

Suffolk Circuit Court Judge Westbrook J. Parker on Thursday sentenced Edward Brian Stoner Sr., 42, of Nansemond Drive, to 25 years each for two counts of forcible sodomy, five years each for two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor and one count of solicitation to commit a felony.

Parker suspended all but 23 years of the sentence.

Stoner was arrested in February after partially admitting to the abuse when the victims’ mother confronted him during a telephone sting, said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Marie Walls. Specific accusations included having oral sex with a minor, viewing pornographic videos with minors and taking semi-nude photographs of the victims.

Stoner never had sexual contact with the youngest child, Walls said. But there was physical contact between the man and an older boy on several occasions, she said.

Stoner pleaded guilty in June as part of an agreement, under which four counts of sodomy, nine counts of indecent liberties and four counts of solicitation were dropped.

&uot;I am not hopeless or beyond help,&uot; said Stoner in a statement he read in court.. &uot;I … made a horrible mistake and I feel terrible for what I have done.&uot;

Parker disagreed.

&uot;It was not a mistake,&uot; he said. &uot;It was a crime and you have got to get help.&uot;

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com