Judge Sends 30-Year-Old Man to Prison for Sex with 15-Year-Old

A JUDGE delivered a strong message about the seriousness of underage sex by sentencing a 30-year-old man to three years in prison for repeatedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a girl half his age.

Tim Posey, of no fixed address, admitted to having a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old girl from Grays over several months, Basildon Crown Court heard.

Judge John Lodge, presiding over the case, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that underage sex is a "serious matter." While Posey's defense argued that the girl had consented to sex on every occasion and that they had developed a "boyfriend/girlfriend relationship," the judge refuted these claims.

"You embarked on a sexual relationship with a girl who was 15," Judge Lodge said. "It matters not that she instigated sexual contact on some occasions. The law is there to protect children, and that is what 15-year-old girls are. You are a 30-year-old man, and this was a serious matter indeed."

The court revealed that Posey's relationship with the girl began after he moved to Grays from Scotland in September of the previous year. He had no prior convictions and intends to return to Scotland upon his release from prison.

Posey pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a female child under 16 at an earlier hearing. He also acknowledged an offense of failing to comply with the requirements of a sexual offender's notification order.

He will serve half of his prison sentence before being eligible for parole.