A Southern Tasmanian man who had sex with a teenage girl after adding her on Facebook has been jailed.
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The defendant was 26 when he began chatting to a schoolgirl online.
Adding her on Facebook and Snapchat, he met up with the student on at least three occasions.
He convinced her to send naked photos of herself and eventually, they had sex.
The man, now 27, appeared before Acting Justice Pierre Slicer last week.
He had pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault and sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 17.
Releasing his comments on passing sentence on Monday, Acting Justice Slicer described the defendant as an “opportunistic predator rather than a compulsive or focused one”.
The “online relationship” between the pair ended after the victim discovered the man was involved with other women.
After trying to take her own life, the girl told her mother about her “relationship” with the defendant.
Her mother then reported it to the police.
“The victim impact statement of the complainant shows that she had wished to make him happy. She now feels betrayed, has a problem with trusting people, and does not put much effort in developing new relationships,” Acting Justice Slicer said.
“She feels more angry, depressed and miserable and has self-harmed. She is receiving psychological assistance.”
The defendant had no prior convictions and was sentenced to two years and six months in jail.
He will not be eligible for parole until he has served 18 months of that sentence and his name was placed on the register.
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