BOSTON -- Defrocked priest John Geoghan was sentenced to 9 to 10 years in prison for indecent assault and battery.

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"I don't need an expert opinion to tell me that this defendant is a serious danger to any pre-adolescent that he comes into contact with," Middlesex Superior Court Judge Sandra Hamlin said. "This defendant accepts no responsibility for his moral conduct, and he intends to do nothing about it. This court feels that rehabilitation is not in this man's immediate future."

Geoghan was convicted by a jury last month on accusations that he molested a 10-year-old boy in a Waltham, Mass., swimming pool in 1991. He was serving at a parish in Weston, Mass., at the time.

Under the state law in effect at the time of the crime, Geoghan will be required to serve six years of the sentence, and then he'll be eligible for parole.

"The court does not punish the defendant for actions of other priests in the Roman Catholic Church. This defendant is not going to be punished for what the church may or may have not done. It is in no way an emotional response by the court to this emotional issue," Hamlin said.

Hamlin detailed her basis for the sentence, saying that it was significant to the court that Geoghan was in a position of trust and authority at the time of the molestation.

"This defendant has been diagnosed as a pedophile, and that diagnosis stands today," Hamlin said. "This defendant hid behind his collar in the safety and sanctity of the Roman Catholic Church."

Hamlin noted that Geoghan admitted to other priests that he sexually molested seven boys in 1977 to 1980.

"When confronted with this activity, he admitted the activity and said that he did not feel it was serious or a pastoral problem," Hamlin said.

The judge said that Geoghan specifically sought out boys who were vulnerable.

"The boys that he targeted were perfect targets. They were helpless. They were vulnerable," she said. "The defendant felt no one would believe them."

Hamlin said that the sentence also took into account the danger Geoghan posed to the public.

"This defendant is a serious threat to every boy that would have the misfortune to come in contact with him," she said.

Patrick McSorley, who alleged that he was abused by Geoghan in a separate incident, said that he was happy with the sentence, but he called it only a first step.

"I'm happy with the outcome. Nine to 10 years is just a small step in helping towards all the victims' self-healing process," McSorley said. "And it's just a small first step in filtering out all pedophiles out of my church."

Prosecutors asked the court that Geoghan be sentenced to 10 years in prison.

"This defendant has no ability to control his behavior. This defendant expresses no interest in sex offender treatment," prosecutor Lynn Rooney said. "(Geoghan) has admitted that in the 1960s, he abused four boys. He has admitted to this. He has admitted that he sexually molested three young boys over the period of three years."

Geoghan's attorney, Geoffrey Packard, said that Geoghan was a priest for about 35 years and that he performed his priestly duties well.

"He was by many accounts an excellent priest. He was also a good neighbor. He was, and is, a good brother to his sister -- a woman who has stood by his side for many years," Packard said. "

After citing Geoghan's history of service to the community, Packard suggested a three-year probation sentence.

Before the sentencing, Kimberly Brown, the victim's mother, read a statement.

"The emotional effect that I felt was watching the pain and confusion in my son's eyes, knowing that someone who he trusted -- a man of God -- could hurt him in that way. Through it all, it brought my son and I closer as a family by only trusting each other," Brown said.

The sentencing took place at Middlesex Superior Court, while Geoghan fights to have separate criminal charges thrown out in Suffolk Superior Court. In that case, Geoghan is accused of raping an 11-year-old boy in the mid-1980s.

The defense is arguing that the case should be dismissed because the statute of limitations has expired. A hearing resumes Friday.

Geoghan also faces a third criminal trial and dozens of civil suits.