Charge after ghosting

Man (18) ghosted 13-year-old: 15 months in prison

Because he had sex with his girlfriend at the age of 18 six months before her 14th birthday, a young man was convicted as a sex offender at the regional court on Monday. Although the sex was consensual - the 13-year-old had paid for a hotel room rented for it. 

The teenager had met the underage girl through her uncle. They became a couple. After a few months, he asked the girl "if she wanted to sleep with me. The first time she said no. After a while, she said yes. It was consensual", the now 19-year-old told a jury.

In order to get intimate with each other, the young couple rented a hotel room on February 13 and 15, 2023. The first time, the 13-year-old paid the bill, the second time the two shared the costs.

Knew nothing about age
The accused emphasized that he was aware that sex with girls under 14 was forbidden. However, he did not know her real age: "I told her I was 18 years old. She told me that she was 18 years old. We didn't talk about details. She said she was still at school." The presiding judge then showed the 19-year-old a photo of the girl, which was part of the investigation file: "And she's 18 for you?" - "Yes", replied the boy with conviction. 

The 13-year-old then reported the teenager to the police after he had not contacted her for weeks following the second intimate encounter. He had then attended a driving license course abroad, the accused remarked in court.

"I loved her"
When asked by the judge why the 13-year-old should have concealed her real age from him, the 19-year-old replied: "Because of her parents." "And that didn't seem strange to you?" the judge asked. "Yes," replied the boy, "but I loved them, so to speak."

With a sentence of one to ten years, the 19-year-old was given 15 months probation. The girl, who had joined the criminal proceedings as a private party, was awarded 1,000 euros. The verdict is final.