A Gravelly Beach man accused of having a sexual relationship with a teenager has been found not guilty.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 27-year-old was put on trial in the Launceston Supreme Court this week with a 19-year-old teen mum claiming he had sex with her on her 15th birthday and raped her on two other occasions.
The man denied the allegations and instead claimed the pair had sex once and the woman had climbed on top of him while he was asleep.
Giving evidence the woman said she fell pregnant to the man and they now have a three-year-old son together.
The court heard the child was now in the care of child services and it had “never been confirmed” if the man was the father, he “just accepted it was his child”.
The jury was not convinced of either rape allegation or that the pair had sex on the complainant’s 15th birthday and found him not guilty of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person.
They instead found the man guilty of one act - having unlawful sexual intercourse with a young person on one occasion.
Justice Robert Pearce bailed the man to reappear on Thursday, November 30, for sentence.
Melissa Mobbs
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
