GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- A man who has been designated as a sexual predator has been sentenced to life in prison.

Jeffrey Lynn McDonald, 51, was convicted last month on three counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, two counts of tampering with a witness and four counts of sexual battery, according to a release from the State Attorney's Office.

"This life sentence was appropriate considering the trauma this defendant left our victim to deal with for the rest of her life. My hope is the sentence will help in her healing process," said Assistant State Attorney James Colaw.

McDonald initially faced charges in 2011 after it was revealed that he had secretly videotaped a girl younger than 16 while she was changing in a bathroom.

He also admitted that he had molested the victim between January 2005 and March 2008 when she was younger than 12.

To persuade witnesses not to testify against him, McDonald sent them letters, called them, and even enlisted the help of former Clay County Jail inmates.

First Coast News