‘Innocence stripped away’: Man jailed after hypnotising teenage patient to make her feel better about having sex with him

An actor and hypnotist has been jailed after sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was having hypnotism treatments with him to break a fingernail-biting habit.
Aaron Patton, 38, of Jay, Maine, had been preying on the girl since she was aged 12 and had sex with her in front of a mirror so they could watch, prosecutors said.
He started by fondling her breasts and genitals before at 14 he began having sex with her around once a week, hypnotising her to make her feel more comfortable about it.

Sentenced: Aaron Patton, 38, of Maine, had been preying on the girl since she was aged 12 and had sex with her in front of a mirror to watch, prosecutors said
Patton, an actor who appeared with Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis as a NASA worker in the 1998 hit film Armageddon, was jailed for six years on sexual assault convictions.
He was having sex with the girl about once a week at one stage, including anal and oral sex, his victim said.

Police said they found lingerie he had bought for the girl, along with sex toys and a copy of ‘Sex and Hypnosis’ when they searched his apartment.
‘Her innocence, which was meant to be lost gradually over time, has been stripped from her,’ the father of the girl, who is now aged 17, told the judge.
‘I wish I had counted the nights that I was up with her as she cried. I wish I could make the world feel what I felt as she trembled in my arms.’

Happier times: Patton is a low-profile actor but has appeared with Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis as a NASA worker in the 1998 hit film Armageddon
Patton admitted he had sex with the girl, but said she was 16 at the time – Maine’s age of consent. He told the court: ‘I loved her then. I love her now and I wish her the best.’
‘Frankly, sir, at your age you should have known better,’ said Superior Court Justice Donald Marden, reported the Maine Sun Journal.
‘Her innocence, meant to be lost gradually over time, has been stripped from her. I wish I had counted the nights that I was up with her as she cried. I wish I could make the world feel what I felt as she trembled in my arms’
Father of sexually assaulted girl
‘I think you know you have done something wrong, but I am not sure you really understand just how much or how serious this is.’
Patton was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday for four counts of gross sexual assault.
He was also sentenced for four years each for unlawful sexual contact and sexual abuse of a minor charges – but these jail terms were suspended.
‘You have a lot of talent,’ Justice Marden said.
‘You have a lot of intellect. I believe you are a spiritual person. And I think you have a fine family. I think it is right to serve your debt to society and put it behind you.’
Patton told the court he only earned up to $3,000 a year for his acting work.