Man admits to sex with 14-year-old, will spend days in jail

The man was more than twice the girl’s age at the time of the offence.

Warwick police station and courthouse.

A MAN who admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old girl will spend just days in jail after the defence counsel argued the encounter was consensual.

In December 2018, Jamie Edward Kratzmann was alone with the teenager in the kitchen of her home when he touched her breasts and genital area without her consent, after which the pair went to a caravan outside and had sex.

The court heard that the 14-year-old was left with a swollen lip, a "hickey" on her neck, and bruising on her genital area following the encounter.

Crown prosecutor Zachary Kaplan also read from a victim impact statement the girl submitted before the verdict had been finalised, which detailed her "suffering in silence" after the sexual contact.

"There were no obvious reminders to the outside world of the pain I was feeling, so life went on," it said.

However, defence barrister Jessica Goldie argued that there was nothing "predatory" about Kratzmann's actions, and that he was "honest and consistent" with his account of events aside from his "beliefs" about the girl's age.

Kratzmann was convicted of one count of the indecent treatment of a child under 16 for touching the girl without her consent, but was acquitted of the other sexual assault and rape charges.

The 30-year-old was sentenced to six months' jail wholly suspended after seven days, three of which had already been served over the course of the court proceedings.

He will also be registered as a reportable child sex offender for the next five years.

When handing down his final verdict, Judge Ken Barlow commended Kratzmann for his "strong work history" and co-operation with police throughout the trial.

However, the judge also warned Kratzmann that he should consider himself "fortunate" that he could not be convicted for the sexual intercourse itself, as his actions showed "complete disregard" for the girl's age.

"You had no belief (as to) her age, you didn't even consider it," Judge Barlow said.

"You took advantage of a young girl. It should have been obvious it was inappropriate."

Originally published as