A man convicted of sexually abusing multiple young girls over the course of many years was sentenced in El Cajon Tuesday to 325 years to life in state prison. Christopher T. Gardner, 33, was convicted of 15 felony sex abuse counts by an East County jury earlier this year for molesting girls who w ere as young as 6 when the abuse began, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors say one of the victims disclosed the abuse to a friend while they were at a sleepover and the friend ultimately told her mother, leading to a police investigation. Gardner was initially arrested on suspicion of molesting two victims, but later a third victim came forward, the D.A.’s Office said. “Predators who rob children of their innocence and inflict lifelong trauma do not belong in our communities,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. “This sentence sends an unmistakable message to abusers: you will be held accountable. I am deeply grateful to our specialized sexual abuse prosecution team for their dedication in bringing a measure of justice to the survivors.” ...read more read less