A 46-year-old Canadian businessman was sentenced Thursday in New London Superior Court to four years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl after meeting her online last year.

Phillipe Gosselin of Quebec was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after four years served, followed by 10 years of probation for second-degree sexual assault. He will be required to register as a sex offender while on probation.

Gosselin has been held at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Institution since he was arrested Oct. 6 as he drove south on Interstate 95 in Madison. Police said the girl's father had taken down his license plate after he dropped off the girl, who had been reported missing.

The teen admitted she met "Phil" on a social chat site called "the Shore" in November 2010, and they communicated electronically for several months. She said Gosselin told her he was working in New York and they could meet.

The teen said she met Gosselin in person in May or June 2011 and they had sex on several occasions, including at her house while her parents were away, and at two Groton motels.