Former HGTV pilot host Christopher Dionne has been sentenced to three years in prison for molesting a 10-year-old girl during a sleepover at his Connecticut home in 2017.
Dionne, who hosted the “Family Flip” pilot episode for the network, is expected to appeal his conviction for fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor and continues to claim his innocence.
According to the arrest warrant application obtained by PEOPLE, Dionne’s victim claimed he touched her inappropriately while she was at a birthday sleepover at his house in November 2017. The girl, now 12, said he woke her up around 1:30 a.m. by placing his hand on her butt under her pajamas while she laid on her belly. She said he then reached his hand under her bra and jiggled her chest and allegedly took a photo of her on his phone.
The child said Dionne molested her twice, several hours apart, while Dionne’s 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter were sleeping in the same room. During the assault, Dionne asked the victim if she wanted to see his genitals, asking her, “Are you a big girl or a little girl?” and telling her, “If you tell your mom, I’ll go to jail and (my daughter) won’t have a daddy.” She refused his advances and Dionne eventually went back to his room.
According to People, this was actually the second time Dionne assaulted the girl; a similar incident happened in September when Dionne allegedly asked the girl if she wanted to kiss his genitals. The friendship between the victim and Dionne’s daughter ended after the assault.
Dionne’s wife, Summer-Sage Dionne, testified in October during the trial that Dionne had an affair with the victim’s mother, according to Daily Mail. She said Dionne admitted to a physical relationship with the woman after he was caught deleting text messages he said were from the mother even after the assault allegations were made. The victim’s mother testified that she and Dionne were involved in a “sexting relationship”. Summer-Sage Dionne testified, “He said, ‘I’ve been texting (the mother). I’ve been sending pictures to her. We’ve been having a sexual relationship.’”
Following his prison sentence, Dionne must reportedly serve 10 years of probation and register as a sex offender, a judge ruled Wednesday, according to the Hartford Courant. He is expected to be released on a $100,000 bond while awaiting sentencing on Dec. 11.
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