A Roscrea man who had unlawful carnal knowledge of a 13year-old girl more than 100 times has had his sentence adjourned to April 2nd by Judge Elizabeth Dunne.
The 19-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 12 counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of the girl between November 1997 and January 1999.
The victim was aged 13 when the first incident took place and now suffers from depression as a result. Judge Dunne adjourned sentence pending a probation report.
Garda Ann Boland told Mr Justin Dillon, prosecuting, that the defendant and the girl had been close friends for some time. The first instance occurred in his own home while his mother was working and they had sexual intercourse more than 100 times. Garda Boland said the defendant admitted to gardai that the victim did not consent to sexual relations.
The victim, now 16, said she felt like dirt after each incident. Her school grades had fallen significantly and she suffered from flashbacks and nightmares. She added that she was now depressed.
The defendant told Mr Michael Counihan SC, defending, he was very sorry for the trouble he had caused. He apologised to the victim from the witness box.
Mr Counihan said the two people were in a boy-girl relationship for 14 months and he noted the State had decided that unlawful carnal knowledge should be the charge in this case. Mr Counihan said his client has no previous convictions and was learning a trade.