No jail for man who sent 'depraved' sexually explicit messages to teenage girl

The “appalling messages” had emerged during a separate investigation into the defilement of the victim by a different person

Judge Martin Nolan said that the content of the texts sent to the teenage girl was depraved and that the man, who was effectively her step-grandfather, should be ashamed of himself. File picture

WARNING: Some readers may find the following report upsetting

A man who sent “depraved” sexually explicit messages to his son’s partner’s daughter has received a fully suspended prison sentence.

The 72-year-old man, who cannot be identified to protect the victim's identity, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to sending a sexually explicit message to a minor on an unknown date in 2018.

Judge Martin Nolan said that the content of the texts sent to the teenage girl was depraved and that the man, who was effectively her step-grandfather, should be ashamed of himself.

He noted that it was a once-off event, the man's lack of previous convictions and the fact that he has not come to any garda attention since. Judge Nolan said he didn't think the offender deserved a prison sentence.

The prosecuting garda told Garrett McCormack BL, prosecuting, that during an investigation into the defilement of the victim by a different person, the girl's phone was seized and certain messages sent by the man to her over Facebook messenger came to light.

The messages included references to the accused asking the then-15- to 16-year-old girl to “lick you out”, “ride you” and talking about the child’s “tight pussy.” The following day he messaged her asking her to “delete everything.” 

The girl told gardaí nothing physical happened with the accused. There was no victim impact statement before the court.

Garret Baker SC, defending, said the accused man had not been the target of the investigation but these “appalling messages” had emerged during a separate investigation. He said the child did not seem threatened or intimidated but acknowledged the “context is vile.” 

He said this was a complete one-off, with no further adverse attention and said there was no way his client would have “followed through.” He asked the court to consider a non-custodial option.

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