Sex offender sentenced to 9 years in attempted kidnapping

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A registered sex offender who attempted to kidnap a young girl at a Metro train station in South Los Angeles in 2011 was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday.

James Alfred Burnett, 47, was wrestled to the ground by commuters at the Avalon Green Line Station on Thursday, March 17, 2011. The suspect had attempted to drag a young girl off the train.

In court, the prosecutor read a letter from the victim saying the memory of Burnett and the attack still haunts her.

"On the day in question the monster that approached me that day, which is the defendant, he has taken every minute of every hour of every day from me," the victim said in a letter read by Deputy District Attorney Rachel Hardiman. "I'm dealing with the image of his face, his hands, his body against mine, the fear of trains and the terrifying thought what could have been me dead... He haunts my every moment."

Burnett is due back in court Dec. 12 on attempted murder and criminal threat charges.

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