A new sentencing hearing for an Illinois man who was convicted of child molestation by a St. Charles County jury almost three years ago got underway Tuesday.

34 year old Brian Fassero of Edwardsville was convicted in January 2005 of one count of child molestation after a jury trial.   Fassero was playing with some children at an indoor playground in St. Peters in Februar 2003 when he molested a 10 year old girl.  A new jury was chosen to hear evidence in the case  to determine his punishment after the state Supreme Court upheld the verdict against him in a decision handed down in June, but sent the case back to St. Charles for a new sentencing.

Jurors in the original case had recommended the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. But the Supreme Court said prosecutors told those jurors about an indictment for sex charges in Illinois without presenting evidence to show Fassero had committed those crimes.  St. Charles County Prosecutor Philip Groenweghe told the new jury Tuesday that he would ask them to impose the maximum sentence of 15 years and he said that Fassero had molested other children.    Fassero’s attorney said his client does not deserve the maximum sentence because much of what he expects prosecutors to present has nothing to do with the St. Charles County case, and he says there are disputes about what happened.