Kapunda father Jason Scott Hodgson pleaded guilty to maintaining unlawful sexual relationship with a child

A predator took a child’s virginity before buying her a prepaid mobile phone so they could keep their sexual relationship a secret, a court has heard.

A predator who groomed a teenage girl bought her a prepaid mobile phone so they could keep their sexual relationship a secret, a court heard.

Jason Scott Hodgson, 49, will learn his fate next week for the “utterly inappropriate” abuse over a two-year period between 2007 and 2009.

During sentencing submissions, the District Court heard the victim was aged between 13 and 15 at the time of the offending, while Hodgson was aged 32-34.

Georgina Venn, for the prosecution, told the court Hodgson exploited the vulnerability and trust of the victim and the offending had an enormous effect on her.

Ms Venn said Hodgson groomed the victim before the abuse – which included daily text messages and learning of her vulnerabilities.

Jason Hodgson pleaded guilty to maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child. Photo: Facebook

Jason Hodgson will be sentenced next week for child sex offending. Photo: Facebook

“The length of the offending is also important – being a period of about two years – involving the taking of the victim’s virginity and weekly instances of invasive sexual intercourse, as well as other sexual acts,” she said.

“There were also elements of secrecy and manipulation to this offending, including the defendant telling her to walk a specific route to his house so she wouldn’t be sighted or telling her to dispose of used condoms on her walk home.”

Ms Venn said Hodgson purchased a prepaid mobile phone for the victim so they could communicate and told her to make up a name for him, as well as encouraging her to go on the contraceptive pill so he didn’t have to use condoms.

The Kapunda father-of-three pleaded guilty to maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child.

James Marcus, for Hodgson, told the court his client, who worked as a stock feed manufacturer, struck up a friendship with the victim after meeting her in the community.

“This friendship proceeded along the lines of Mr Hodgson and (the victim) confiding in one another and ultimately developed into an inappropriate sexual relationship,” he said.

Mr Marcus told the court Hodgson admitted he was attracted emotionally and sexually to the victim but knew it was an “utterly inappropriate” relationship.

Mr Marcus said Hodgson didn’t have a pathological attraction to children but his heavy alcohol use and poor self-esteem led to commencing the relationship with the victim.

The court heard Hodgson ceased drinking in 2014 and was now a very different man to the one at the time of the offending.

Judge Geraldine Davison will sentence Hodgson, who has been in custody since October, next week.