A man who allegedly offered a 13-year-old boy €50 to have sex with him has gone on trial at the Circuit Criminal Court.
The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with sexual exploitation under Section 3 of the Child Pornography and Trafficking Act 1998.
His alleged victim told the court in Castlebar, Co Mayo, that the accused followed him from a shopping centre in a west of Ireland town on January 13th, 2016, and propositioned him for sex.
The boy, now 15, said he was “shocked” and “scared” and told his mother what had happened when he went home.
The alleged victim said the accused, whom he did not know, had cash in his right hand when he approached him and asked if he would “like to earn some money.”
The trial, before Judge Rory MacCabe and a jury, is continuing.
