Man who had intercourse with underage cousin after giving her cocaine jailed for 15 months

A man pleaded guilty after giving his underage cousin chlamydia at the flat he shared with his mother, with a second count of defilement at the same location also taken into account

A twisted 24-year-old man has been slammed with a 15-month jail sentence after he had sex with his underage cousin and gave her cocaine, leaving her suffering from chlamydia.

The criminal, who can’t be named to protect his victim’s identity, admitted to the sickening crime which happened on May 9, 2021, at his mum’s flat. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the shocking details on Monday, revealing he was 21 years old at the time he targeted his second cousin. The court was told that the young girl was visiting her aunt – a neighbour of the man – when he turned up with drugs and booze in the early hours.

After taking cocaine and a swig of vodka, she felt dizzy and was lured to his flat under the pretence of watching a boxing match. There, he made his move, kissing her and ominously asking: “If anything happens, would you not tell any of them?”

The vile assault continued upstairs in his bedroom, where the victim lost consciousness after the ordeal began, waking up naked beside him at 7am. To add to the horror, between the first attack and another in July the same year, he hounded her for intimate photos, all under the veil of Snapchat’s disappearing messages.

In July 2021, he lured her to his flat under the pretence of showing her a new scooter. She confessed to officials that she felt compelled to go, fearing he might expose their secret relationship and get her in trouble, reports the Irish Mirror.

Once again, he led her to his bedroom where they had sex. She expressed feeling exploited afterwards, believing he had invited her over solely for sex.

A few weeks later, she confided in her aunt who then informed her mother. They took her to the Rotunda for a medical examination.

The accused had previously admitted to the victim’s brother that he had chlamydia, which the victim was later found to have contracted. The man voluntarily presented himself at his local Garda station.

He has no prior convictions. The victim chose to deliver her impact statement in person, accompanied by her father to court. Her mother has since tragically died from cancer. She revealed that her life took a turn for the worse following these incidents.

She detailed the immense trauma and shame she experienced, leading her to drop out of education. She became emotional as she described her inability to face others and the feeling of being ‘unclean’ after discovering she had chlamydia.

Despite this, she expressed hope that her case would inspire other victims of such crimes to step forward.

The barrister for the accused man highlighted that his client was just four years and nine months older than the girl, who had turned 17 only five months after their first encounter. He emphasised that there was no evidence of force or coercion, noting that initially, the girl told Gardaí the sex was consensual and she did not wish to lodge a complaint.

The counsel admitted his client’s full responsibility for his actions, especially the ‘aggravating feature’ of transmitting chlamydia to her. “While there was an element of manipulation in turning up to her flat at 4am with vodka and cocaine, the opportunity presented itself unexpectedly,” he remarked.

“It was opportunistic. It wasn’t violent. She was a participant, albeit an underage participant, and unable to give consent. In her mind, it was consensual.”

He also mentioned his client’s struggles with alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and ecstasy addictions since age 16, though he is now getting addiction support. The barrister called his client’s actions very selfish, stating: “He abused his position of trust,” and: “He took advantage of his younger cousin while in the throes of addiction.”

Furthermore, he revealed that the accused had landed a job as a brand ambassador and was set to start the next day. A probation report assessed him at a moderate risk of reoffending.

Judge Martin Nolan found the second incident to be an aggravating factor and believed the defendant warranted imprisonment. “Obviously I have to take into account that she was close to the age of consent,” he stated.

“The fact he was 21 is pertinent.”

The judge handed down a 15-month prison sentence as a result.

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