Man pleads guilty in Internet sex case, faces four-year prison term

A 46-year-old Canadian businessman pleaded guilty Thursday in New London Superior Court to having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl after meeting her online last year.

Phillipe Gosselin of Quebec will be sentenced Aug. 23 to four years in prison followed by 10 years of probation for second-degree sexual assault. He will be required to register as a sex offender while on probation.

Gosselin has been held at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Institution since he arrested Oct. 6 as he drove south on Interstate 95 in Madison. Police said the girl's father had taken down his license plate after he dropped off the girl, who had been reported missing.

The teen admitted she met Phil on a social chat site called "the Shore" in November 2010 and they communicated electronically for several months. She said Gosselin told her he was working in New York and they could meet. The teen said she met Gosselin in person in May or June 2011 and they had sex on several occasions, including at her house while her parents were away and at two Groton motels.

Gosselin, who is married, has no prior criminal record. Prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla said he and defense Attorney Andrew Bowman have discussed the possibility that Gosselin will be able to transfer his probation to Canada but that it is not part of the plea agreement. Gosselin will be evaluated by the Department of Adult Probation upon his release from prison.