Predator to be sentenced for grooming underage girl

A 25-YEAR-OLD man will be sentenced next month for the online sexual exploitation of a young teenager six years ago.

The Dublin man was aged 19 when he met the 13-year-old girl in December 2011 and they later began communicating online via Skype, Facebook and texting on a regular basis.

The girl told the accused she was 13. The Skype communication took the form of being able to see each other without audio and texting to speak to each other, and he began asking her to take her clothes off.

On a date in March 2012 the pair made an arrangement to meet, initially with friends, but were later left alone in a local park. They kissed and the accused asked the girl to perform oral sex. Later in 2012 the girl’s mother noticed concerning messages on her laptop and the gardaí were alerted. The accused was identified as a suspect and interviewed.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of defilement and three counts of sexual exploitation of the girl between December 2011 and May 2012. He has no previous convictions.

The now 19-year-old woman said in her victim-impact statement she had been going through a tough time at the time of the offences and felt quite low in herself.

She said that after meeting the accused man he quickly became someone she confided in and that he made her feel special.

‘I feel he used my vulnerability to his advantage to get what he wanted,’ she said.

Seán Gillane SC, defending, said his client had not come to any further attention in the six years since the offences and lived a law-abiding lifestyle. Mr Gillane also said the accused man had written a letter of apology to the victim in which he indicated he had hurt her in a way she should not have been hurt.

Judge Patrick McCarthy adjourned sentencing until March 5.