A MAN who groomed and exploited a girl into engaging in sex acts with him in hotels in Limerick was jailed for three years with the final year suspended.
Joseph Kiely (39), with an address at Cosgrave Park, Moyross, Limerick City, pleaded guilty before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of defilement, engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of 17.
Mr Kiely preyed on the girl via the social media platform Snapchat, before engaging in sex acts with her at hotels in the Limerick region on July 8 and July 9, 2020, the court heard.
Judge Colin Daly said the victim was aged 14, but had told Kiely, then aged 35, that she was 16, after the two had interacted online.
“During the course of the Snapchat interaction, Mr Kiely proposed that she enter into a ‘sugar relationship’ with him,” the judge said.
Judge Daly said the girl had been going through a difficult period in her life and “then got in touch with Mr Kiely and arranged to meet him in a hotel on July 8, 2020, where they engaged in sexual intercourse, in return for which he gave her cigarettes and €80”.
“The next day she contacted him again and they arranged again to meet for sex in return for money. At a different hotel, the victim performed oral sex on Mr Kiely and he gave her €90.”
The victim told her mother and made a statement to Gardaí, which led to Kiely subsequently giving two voluntary interviews to investigating Gardaí.
Judge Daly said that using a child for sexual gratification must be considered to be one of the most serious offences before the criminal courts and reiterated that children are very vulnerable and should be protected by adults.
Judge Daly said that “the accused cannot hide behind ignorance of the actual age of consent nor can he hide behind his recklessness in becoming involved with someone for sexual purposes who was so obviously much, much younger than him.”
“He was reckless to an enormous degree in the exploitation of a vulnerable young person.”
The judge said he took into account Mr Kiely’s early guilty plea, his co-operation with Gardaí, his previous good character with no previous convictions, and that he made no further attempt to contact the victim after Gardaí got involved.
As part of Kiely’s sentence, he was placed on a national sex offenders register for 10 years.
The court placed a stay on the execution of the custodial warrant, which was made prior to the new year, and Kiely was due to began his prison sentence this past Tuesday (January 7).
Judge Daly lifted reporting restrictions allowing the media to name Mr Kiely, but said the victim was entitled to her anonymity.
