Cork schoolgirl 'was starting to trust' mother's partner until he sent sexually explicit texts

The accused man pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages by phone to the teenager and also sending her a photograph

The schoolgirl said: “I was already struggling with depression so I am not claiming that the incident caused my depression but it didn’t help me with moving on and recovering from it." File photo

A 16-year-old schoolgirl turned her phone on when she woke to get ready for school and discovered that 60 messages of a sexually explicit nature and a photograph had been sent to her by her mother’s 36-year-old partner.

Detective Garda Donal O’Connell gave this evidence at the sentencing hearing for the 36-year-old at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.