Teen charged with inviting young girl to engage in sexual act

A Dublin teenager has been charged with inviting a young girl to engage in sexual activity.

The boy, now aged 16, is accused of inviting a girl, aged under 15, for sexual purposes to touch his penis.

The incident allegedly occurred at a residential address in south Dublin in 2020.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was aged 14 at the time.

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He was arrested and charged last month under section four of the Sexual Offences Act 2017 and granted bail to appear at the Dublin Children’s Court on Tuesday.

In reply to the charge after caution, the court heard that he told the investigating garda: “No, I did not do it”.

Judge Paul Kelly noted that the Director of Public Prosecutions had recommended that the boy face trial on indictment in the circuit court, which has tougher sentencing powers.

That has triggered the requirement for a preliminary hearing to conclude the jurisdiction issue.

It is provided for under section 75 of the Children Act.

That allows the Children’s Court to accept jurisdiction by considering the age, level of maturity, and any relevant factors.

The boy, accompanied to court by a parent, was remanded on continuing bail to appear again in April.

None of the alleged facts of the case has been outlined in court yet.

Legal aid was granted.

Section 93 of the Children Act states that no report shall be published or broadcast which reveals the name, address or school of any child concerned in the proceedings or includes any particulars likely to lead to the identification of any child involved in the proceedings.