Anand Jon sentenced to 59 years for rape

Los Angeles: Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander convicted of sexually assaulting several girls and young women was on Monday sentenced to 59 years in prison by a Los Angeles court.

The designer, who appeared on the reality television show `America's Next Top Model`, was convicted of 16 charges, including rape and sexual assault in November.

According to prosecutors, he enticed the girls, mostly aspiring models, with the promise of modelling jobs and forced them into sex, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Alexander, acting as his own attorney, presented a lengthy argument in the court and urged for a new trial citing the inadequate defence by his former attorneys.

However, Judge David Wesley denied his motion and handed down the hefty sentence while his victims wept in the jury box.

Wesley sentenced him to the maximum sentence for all but two of those counts, saying he showed no remorse for his actions and posed a danger to other young women, said the report.

Nine women who testified against Alexander during his trial told the court about their ordeal, each choking up with emotion.

`I was 14. You took my adolescence, my trust, my dream and completely manipulated them for your sexual desires,` one of the victims said, reading from a statement.

The designer also faces charges in New York and Texas, where he has been indicted.