By Sharon Coolidge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A Westwood man who had sex with a 12-year-old boy and took photographs of their sexual acts, which he then sent over the Internet, was sent to prison for the rest of his life.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Steve Martin Friday sentenced Daniel Ostenkamp, 33, to spend 135 years in prison on eight counts of rape and 11 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.

Martin said the sentence is meant to protect the public.

"There's no question in my mind that you'd do this again because you enjoyed this way too much," Martin told Ostenkamp, who was designated a sexual predator.

The victim's father and stepmother told the court their son, now 15, hasn't been the same since he was assaulted.

The boy used to smile more and give hugs more readily, said his father, who is not being identified to protect his son's identity.

A group of technologically savvy detectives connected a group of Florida men accused of looking at child pornography videos and photos on the Internet to Ostenkamp.

Florida detectives saw a televised news broadcast in the background of a sex tape they found and traced it to Cincinnati. Those detectives then called the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, which joined the investigation. The trail of evidence led to the doorstep of Ostenkamp's Westwood home.

He was charged with sexually molesting the boy over three years, beginning when the boy was 12. He knew the boy.

Ostenkamp pleaded guilty April 27.

Through tears, Ostenkamp told the judge, "I'm glad I'm here so I can get help." He asked for a second chance, though, saying: "This is nothing I would ever do again."

But Martin didn't believe him.

"I think you are only remorseful because you got caught," the judge told Ostenkamp.

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E-mail scoolidge@enquirer.com