A self proclaimed “slave trainer” was sentenced Thursday to 29 years in prison after convictions on child pornography production and possession charges.
Simon Hessler, 48, had pleaded guilty in federal court to production of child pornography and in state courts to charges that included risk of injury to a minor, unlawful restraint and multiple counts related to his attempt to market a young girl for sexual abuse, federal authorities said. The sentence was a consolidation of state and federal cases.
The former owner of the Baymont by Wyndham hotel in Manchester, Hessler came to the attention of state police in October 2018 during an ongoing investigation into child prostitution and trafficking, police have said.