A 42-year-old Kapahulu man described by the judge as a "true pedophile" was sentenced to a maximum five-year prison term yesterday for molesting a 10-year-old boy last year.

Christopher Brainerd earlier pleaded guilty to five counts of third-degree sex assault and failing to provide updated information to the Hawai'i sexual offender registry.

Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto imposed the five-year term that was part of a plea agreement.

The judge said Brainerd was a "true pedophile" who put on magic shows for birthday parties and taught classes to place himself near youngsters.

Brainerd has prior sex convictions in Illinois in 1988 and in Honolulu in 1996 related to molesting boys, according to court records. Both victims were 7 years old.

In the Honolulu case, Brainerd was sentenced to a year in jail and five years' probation.

Last year, Brainerd molested the fifth-grade boy repeatedly after befriending the youth at a computer gaming establishment on South King Street, police said.

City Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell said Brainerd's history shows that he would befriend prepubescent boys, then molest them.

Bell said his office entered into the plea agreement to protect the public and spare the 10-year-old boy from the trial.

Brainerd's lawyer, Myles Breiner, said his client accepted responsibility by pleading guilty and also did not want the boy to go through the rigors of a trial.

Brainerd told the judge he apologizes to the victim and his family.

"It's pretty clear I never learned my lesson," Brainerd said.

He said he will now "learn the hard way" with "hard time."

The Hawaii Paroling Authority will later determine how much time Brainerd will serve before he can be released on parole, but the prosecution and defense agreed that he would have to serve the five years, Bell said.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.