A man convicted of sex crimes against three different underage girls claimed in court that the encounter was mutual after a 13-year-old victim accused him of rape.
According to MailOnline, Cruz Keith Bligh was 18 when he forced the young girl to have sex with him while they were at his 14-year-old girlfriend’s house in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.
Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke told the court this week that Bligh told the victim that “you wanted it” or “you did want it” after the young girl told him to stop.
Bligh maintained a relationship with his 14-year-old girlfriend even after his rape charge, the outlet reports. The pair had sex more than 100 times, according to prosecutors. Despite the relationship being consensual, it’s considered illegal due to the girl’s age, prosecutors said.
A third underage girl told authorities that Bligh sent her a photo of his penis.
Bligh pleaded guilty to sex acts with three underage girls, including, “unlawful sexual relationship with a child under 16, rape, willful exposure, and indecent treatment of a child under 16.”
Bligh’s defense lawyer claimed his client was a victim of physical and sexual abuse while growing up.
Judge Michael Burnett, who presided over the case, said that Bligh’s actions will cause longterm damage to his victims. He sentenced Bligh to seven years behind bars.
However, since Bligh has already served 330 days in jail awaiting trial, he will be eligible for parole in less than a year.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
