Underage sex loophole puts children at risk, claim rights group

Children are under threat from sexual predators, rights groups warned tonight after a man was cleared of sexual assault despite admitting having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The acquitted Mr K slept with the child on Howth Head, Dublin, in October 2001 after the girl had been drinking but was found not guilty by a jury after claiming he made an ’honest mistake’ about her age.