Man who attacked Muslim lawmaker in Connecticut sentenced to 5 years in prison

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A man who attacked a Muslim state representative outside a prayer service in Connecticut was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for attempted sexual assault and other crimes, a punishment the lawmaker previously said was too lenient.

Andrey Desmond, 31, was sentenced in Hartford Superior Court in connection with the June 2023 assault on Rep. Maryam Khan, the first Muslim to serve in the state House of Representatives. Desmond pleaded guilty in April to attempted third-degree sexual assault, attempted first-degree strangulation and risk of injury to a minor — all felonies.

After the prison time, Desmond must serve parole, register as a sex offender and receive mental health treatment.

Desmond’s public defender, John Stawicki, said in court that Desmond regretted his actions and has struggled with mental illness, including schizophrenia. Desmond said the “events that happened were out of my control. I didn’t have any self-control.”

Khan, a Democrat from the Hartford suburb of Windsor, said in a statement that the assault “highlighted serious gaps in our mental health care system and victim safety and protection.”

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