Due to a court order, the accused man's name and photo cannot be used in stories.
(CMR) A 24-year-old man pretended to be a teen to chat with a 13-year-old girl on Snapchat for weeks before he raped her in a hotel bathroom, jurors heard during the start of his trial on Thursday.
The man, who recently pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of indecent assault against three juveniles, ages 11-14, is on trial in a separate matter that reportedly took place last March. He is also expected to stand trial in July in relation to the recent charges.
Prosecutor Sarah Lewis, in her opening statement on Thursday, told the jury that the accused man groomed the teenager, chatting with her on Snapchat for several weeks before he began asking her to send him nude photos.
Reports are that in March 2023, the girl went to work with her mother at a hotel because school was closed. Thinking Sthe accused was a teen, she agreed to meet by the pool area of the hotel.
He reportedly raped the girl in a bathroom. After leaving the bathroom, the girl's mother went looking for her, wanting to know who she had been sitting with by the pool. Initially, she denied knowing the man, but when her mother pressed, she told her everything that happened. Her mother immediately informed the police, and the child was taken to the hospital.
When the man was arrested a few days later, he admitted to messaging the girl and exchanging pictures but claimed she told him she would soon be 18.
He also denied raping her; however, medical evidence, including semen in samples taken, proved the child was sexually assaulted.
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