Suspended Sentence In 'Romeo And Juliet' Underage Sex Case

A 21-year-old man has been given a six month suspended sentence after admitting he had sex with a girl when they were both teenagers.

The man, from Co Donegal, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court yesterday, where he admitted he had sex with the girl but insisted it was by consent.

He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, the defilement of a child.

The incident took place at a vacant house in 2006. The girl was 14 at the time while the man was then 15.

The court heard how the accused and another two boys and two girls entered the house after a céilí on August 5th, 2006.

The girl admitted she took part in various acts of intimacy but denies she ever consented to full sex with the boy.

Gardaí were informed of the incident when another girl told her father about it and he in turn informed the local school principal.

Barristers for the young man said that the case had been hanging over him for six years as appeals were made to both the High Court and the Supreme Court.

The case attracted much notoriety and became known as the “Romeo and Juliet case” because the law allows the prosecution of teenage boys for having sex with teenage girls but prevents prosecution of girls.

Judge John O’Hagan said the case involved a couple of youngsters who got together and their hormones ran away with them. He said the Oireachtas had clearly recognised this was not a “sexual predator” type crime.

(H)