Teenager (17) abused girl (12) after they made contact on Snapchat

A TEENAGE boy sexually abused a 12-year-old schoolgirl after they made contact anonymously through Snapchat.

The girl said she wants justice for the sexual abuse perpetrated on her by a “vile creature”.

She told Ennis Circuit Court in a hard-hitting victim impact statement: “I am so angry, fed up, utterly disgusted and traumatised to the core.”

The girl – now 17 – said her life has only gone downhill since the accused “abused me

‘I will never be able to live normal life because of that vile creature’

at such a young age”.

The male – now 22 but 17 at the time – has pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault between October 2014 and April 2015.

The accused and the girl come from the same part of Co Clare and went to the same secondary school at the time.

They were in contact through Snapchat, exchanged photos that were sexual in nature and later met in person. One of the sexual assaults took place in the grounds of a local primary school.

Det Sgt Kevin O’Hagan told the court the girl’s mother made contact with the authorities in April 2015 “after her daughter had said to her something distressing’.”

The age difference between the accused and the girl is four-and-a-half years.

The girl attended court to deliver her victim impact statement, and stated: “I have never despised anyone in my life except this person.

“I am writing this today with pure hatred and sorrow in my heart,” she said.

“He has taken so much from me and I will never be able to live a normal life because of that vile creature.

“I started self-harming at the end of 12 and have not been able to stop since.

“I now have permanent scars on my body, which I have to hide out of shame and to hide from the judgment of others.

“Along with the abundance of self-harm, I have had to cope with suicidal thoughts I have had since the age of 12.

“I was only a young, innocent, cheerful girl and he took that,” she added.

Counsel for the accused, Mark Nicholas SC, said there was no sense of coercion or threat of violence concerning the sexual assaults.

He said the complainant providing the victim impact was “very brave”. But he said the statement “may be out of step with the thrust of the evidence”.

He said the complainant told gardaí that she had a crush on the accused.

Det O’Hagan said the State accepted the teenage girl had issues concerning self-harm prior to her contact with the accused.

Judge Gerald Keys said he would require time to pass sentence and remanded the accused on continuing bail.