Man Gets 30 Years For Molesting Girl At Disney Hotel

A man convicted of molesting a young girl at a Disney hotel will spend the next 30 years behind bars. William Bishop, 58, molested the child in the bushes at the Swan Hotel in April of 2007. He was sentenced Friday morning in an Orange County courtroom.

Neither the little girl nor her parents were present Friday, but their presence was certainly felt when the prosecutor read their emotional letter.

Moments after convicted child molester William Bishop entered the courtroom, he, along with everyone else, heard prosecutor Linda Drain read a letter written by the victim’s parents urging the judge to lock him up for life.

“She’s a brave little girl who should be thinking about playing soccer and having fun with friends, not this," Drain read.

On April 27, 2007, an 11-year-old boy told Orange County deputies he saw Bishop molesting a girl in the bushes outside the Swan Hotel at Disney. Bishop was caught videotaping the incident that the girl’s parents said happened on her birthday.

“We traveled to Disney to celebrate our daughter’s eight birthday. It was her wish. Now, every year on her birthday, because of that, we are reminded of the incident," Drain read from the victim's parents' letter.

The judge sentenced Bishop to 30 years for count one, kidnapping of a child under 13, and 30 years for count two, lewd and lascivious molestation, concurrently. Bishop will be an old man when released from prison.

"Nothing, except that I was very impressed with the way you managed my trial. I couldn’t have asked for a more fair judge," Bishop said when asked if he wanted to make any comments.

The judge denied Bishop's request for a new trial.

Previous Stories: May 27, 2008: Trial Date Set For Man Accused Of Molesting Girl At Disney Hotel April 30, 2007: Man Allegedly Caught Molesting Girl At Disney-Area Hotel