Man jailed for sexual act with 14-year-old girl

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A man was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 24 November 2017 to four years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended. He had pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a sexual act with an underage girl.

The offence took place on 17 July 2015. The proceedings were reported on 24 November 2017. The man, then aged 19, cannot be named to protect the girl’s identity.

The court heard that the 14-year-old girl contacted the man, a Facebook acquaintance, for a lift from the Wesley disco in Donnybrook. He agreed to drive her home but made her perform oral sex in his car.

Judge Melanie Greally said the offence required custody. She gave the man credit for his guilty plea, previous good character, cooperation with gardaí, remorse, difficult upbringing and limited intellectual capacity. She suspended the final 12 months because of his young age at the time and his naivety.

The judge said the man was a registered sex offender. Defence counsel Caroline Biggs SC said he had expressed guilt and regret, and that the case did not involve a predatory man waiting outside a disco for young girls.