Great Falls man gets 60-year sentence for raping girl

GREAT FALLS – A 40-year-old Great Falls man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for raping a 7-year-old girl – triple the sentence prosecutors recommended in a plea agreement.

The Great Falls Tribune reported Matthew Paul Thibert pleaded guilty in April to sexual intercourse without consent under an agreement that recommended he be sentenced to 50 years in prison with 30 suspended.

District Judge Greg Pinski was not bound by the plea deal and cited Thibert’s previous felony convictions, including assault on a minor, in ordering the 60-year term on Wednesday. He also ordered Thibert to complete two phases of sex offender treatment in prison.

Thibert did not speak during the sentencing hearing. His public defender sought a sentence of 15 years in prison with 10 suspended.