A MAN who had sex with a 15- year-old girl after befriending her on a social networking site has been given a suspended sentence.
The 22-year-old accused, who cannot be named to protect the girl’s identity, met her through Bebo before arranging to meet her in Dublin city centre. He later told gardaí that she said on the website she was 16, which he believed was the legal age of consent.
The man, originally from eastern Europe, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to defilement of a child under 17 years old at her Dublin home on September 18th, 2009.
Judge Martin Nolan gave credit for the man’s guilty plea and co-operation with gardaí and imposed a two-year sentence, suspended for two years.
Garda Marcus Regan told Gerardine Small, prosecuting, that the man began talking to the girl on Bebo. They texted every day before deciding to meet in September 2009. They met, talked and held hands several days in a row after the girl finished school. She later said she thought he was nice and that he was never pushy.
On September 18th, the accused joined the girl in her home and they had consensual sex.
Kieran Kelly, defending, said his client was a member of the Roma community where “things are done younger”.