011217...R SKEINS TRIAL 2...WARREN...01-12-17... Defendant Gilbert E. Skeins, 22, listens to closings during his trial Thursday afternoon in Judge Andrew Logan's courtroom...by R. Michael Semple

WARREN — A 22-year-old Niles man on Tuesday received a life sentence after being convicted of raping a 5-year-old girl.

A handcuffed Gilbert E. Skeins Jr. left Common Pleas Judge Andrew D. Logan’s courtroom proclaiming his innocence after the judge pronounced a prison sentence that included a chance for parole after 25 years. He was convicted by a Trumbull County jury on Jan. 13.

Skeins, who was found guilty of charges of rape and gross sexual imposition, also was labeled a Tier 3 sexual offender, who if freed has to register his whereabouts every 90 days for life.

The case revolved around testimony from the girl, now age 6, who said she was sexually assaulted on Valentine’s Day 2016 by Skeins in the bathroom of a Warren Avenue duplex in Niles. The girl at the time was visiting her grandmother, who shared a home with Skeins and his girlfriend, who is the woman’s daughter.

The girl said she was assaulted while Skeins was left alone with three young children while the other adults went shopping.

During the weeklong trial, Skeins took the stand in his own defense and told the jury he did not have contact with the girl in the bathroom. He testified the girl barged into the bathroom while he was disrobed, and she immediately ran out.

Assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber in her case played an audio tape to jurors in which Skeins admitted he “accidentally” had contact with the girl.

On Tuesday, the victim’s mother gave an impact statement in court, saying what her daughter went through “has ruined Valentine’s Day for life for me.”

gvogrin@tribtoday.com