Jasmine Franklin
A 21-year-old Ponoka man accused of sexually touching a teenage girl last November will stand trial.
Due to a publication ban, names of the accused and the complainant cannot be released. In a preliminary hearing March 5 it was decided the matter would be set for trial in Wetaskiwin Court of Queen’s Bench April 13.
It is alleged that the 21-year-old man met girl through a mutual friend not long after her 15th birthday. The girl testified their ages were disclosed to one another and it wasn’t long before they began spending time together.
The two began dating and the girl spent three days at the accused’s home. On the second day, court was told the two had sex and she remained at his home for the following day.
“We were watching movies in the living room,” she said. “Then we went into his bedroom. We started kissing and one thing led to another I guess.”
When the girl’s mother went to the home to find her daughter, she told her mother what had happened and how old the man was. Her mother, who had been unaware of the man’s age, went to report the incident to police.
The girl said it was not her idea to go to the police and that after the two had sex at the time she wanted to continue a relationship with the man.
Defence lawyer Norman Clair questioned the age on the girl’s Facebook site. The posted date of birth indicated she was two years older than her real age. That fact however was followed by the presentation of information from the Crown that the girl had disclosed her age on their second or third meeting.
The trial is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.