Fox 5 reporter sentenced to 26 years in molestation case even though child testified she was never molested

CLIFFVIEW PILOT: A  judge in Hackensack this afternoon sentenced former Fox 5 investigative reporter Charles Leaf to 26 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl and of possessing child pornography on his home computer in Wyckoff.

Leaf remained composed — even more subdued than during his trial — as Superior Court Judge James J. Guida sentenced him. He will have to serve a month short of 20 years before he’ll be eligible for parole.

Jurors in Hackensack convicted Leaf on Feb. 20 following a little more than five hours of deliberations over two days. A judge revoked his bail and he was handcuffed and taken to the Bergen County Jail to await today’s sentencing.

The girl, now 8, was the first witness to testify in the trial. Showing considerable composure, she told jurors that Leaf never molested her and that the allegations she made two years ago were fed to her by her nanny.

READ MORE: Former Fox 5 reporter Charles Leaf sentenced to 26 years for sex assault on girl, 4