(AP) — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has affirmed the lengthy sentence of a 29-year-old man for sexually assaulting a teenage girl starting when she was 14.

The appeals court on Tuesday upheld the 40- to 50-year sentence for James Graves, of Salem, who was convicted last August of two counts of first-degree sexual assault.

Graves must also register as a sex offender after his release.

Graves’ appeal said he and girl had a consensual “boyfriend/girlfriend relationship” and that they were engaged to be married when she was 16.

But the appeals court noted that Graves subjected the girl to repeated acts of sexual abuse and violence, including an instance in which he broke into her bedroom window before dawn, dragged her through the window and savagely beat her.