A 75-year-old Lynden man was sentenced last week to at least 10 years in prison for molesting two young girls.

Rudolf Glattfelder could spend life behind bars if he's found unfit for release. Both victims were younger than 12 when the abuse began.

Charging documents recount how Glattfelder touched the girls, forced them to touch him and performed oral sex on them. He told the girls nobody would believe them if they reported what they did together. The abuse went on for years, until the victims moved away.

Glattfelder confessed to his wife on Father's Day 2012. She reported the crimes and left him immediately, later telling investigators she never suspected her husband of molesting the girls. He pleaded guilty in September to first-degree child molestation and first-degree child rape.

In a sex offender evaluation, corrections deputies expressed serious concerns about Glattfelder's lack of empathy for the victims. He claimed the girls "seduced" him by jumping on trampolines and touching him when they swam together, according to court records.

Glattfelder told the evaluator he was "happy the girls have not been hurt by his actions and that they will be able to live normal lives."

But the girls suffered deep emotional scarring from the abuse, becoming distrustful of adults, unable to focus in school and "full of hate and anger," according to court records.

"Mr. Glattfelder does not appear to be taking any responsibility for his horrendous actions," his evaluator wrote. "During my interview he seemed to try to portray himself as a victim. He stated he has 'lost everything' and gives the impression that he believes he was seduced by the victims."

After several delayed hearings, Glattfelder's suggested sentence was confirmed in Whatcom County Superior Court Wednesday, Jan. 23.

In a letter provided to the Department of Corrections, he concluded his account of the abuse by saying, "I am truly sorry and apologize to my family for this hardship I bestowed upon them. So help me God."

Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.