Rockhampton man jailed for sexual relationship with teen

A young man jailed for having sex with a teenage girl persisted with the relationship for nine months after police warned the man and his mother it was illegal, a court heard.

The court heard when the girl was questioned about how many times the pair had sex, she responded “I don’t know. There was so many.” FILE PHOTO

A young man jailed for having sex with a teenage girl persisted with the relationship for nine months after police warned the man and his mother it was illegal, a court heard.

The now 25-year-old man, who can not be identified for legal reasons, was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court this week to 4.5 years prison for the 15-month long sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.

The girl ran away from her family home during the relationship, living with the defendant and his mother “off and on”.

The man also took 31 photographs and videos of the pair having sex or carrying out sexual acts, which police found on his phone when they seized it following a complaint of domestic violence.

Judge Jeff Clarke said it was “remarkable and particularly concerning” that the defendant carried out this “deplorable sexually deviant conduct” at his “relatively” young age.

He said the child was a vulnerable girl.

“When she was 15, you procured her to send self-made videos over Facebook Messenger and then had discussions with her including planning to meet for sexual interaction,” Judge Clarke said.

Six weeks after the defendant was initially charged for having sex with the teen, he was busted by police in a motel room with the victim after having picked her up from McDonalds.

He breached his bail conditions and a domestic violence order by being with her, and being in contact with her.

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said the relationship was marred by alcohol, drugs and violence.

The defendant had met the girl at their Rockhampton workplace.

Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence said prior to starting the sexual relationship, they had a conversation about her age with the defendant saying he was scared because she was so young.

She said the girl’s brother walked in on them once and told the victim’s mother what he saw.

Ms Lawrence said the victim’s relationship with her parents broke down and she left the family home, without telling them as they dealt with another matter, and moved in with the defendant and his mother.

They lived together ‘off and on’ for 9.5 months.

Ms Lawrence said when the girl was questioned about how many times the pair had sex, she responded “I don’t know. There was so many.”

She said before the child had a contraception implant inserted, the defendant used the ‘withdrawal’ contraception method.

After the defendant was charged for the maintaining sexual relationship with a child and associated offences, he breached bail and domestic violence court orders multiple times and was even once spotted by an off-duty police officer with the child at Allenstown shopping centre.

When police spoke with the defendant about the breaches, he told them he had spent time with the victim over the course of a week.

He was also found in possession of 0.1 gram of methamphetamines.

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said her client’s mother had relocated to Sydney after he was remanded in custody, but his father, stepmother, sister and stepsister remained supportive, with his father visiting him in jail every fortnight.

She said the defendant “has grown up and matured” while remanded in custody.

“He says this is a wake up call that he needed,” Ms Marsden said.

She said the defendant had spent time in protective custody after being the victim of assaults and hazing.

Ms Marsden said her client was introduced to marijuana by cousins and used meth for one year, starting at age 23.

The man pleaded guilty to one count each of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, using electronic communications to procure a child, possessing child exploitation material, possessing drugs and two of breaching a domestic violence order.

Judge Clarke declared 473 days presentence custody as time already served on the 4.5 year prison term and set parole eligibility for September 5, 2023.

Originally published as Rockhampton man jailed for sexual relationship with teen