PAUL COLLINS FROM DRIMNAGH JAILED IN DUBLIN FOR UNDERAGE SEX WITH 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL

In a case that has shocked the community of Drimnagh and the wider Dublin area, Paul Collins, a 52-year-old Irish Army corporal, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The charges stem from his unlawful sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl and the possession of explicit images of her, which he admitted to during the proceedings.

Collins, who resides on Mourne Road in Drimnagh, pleaded guilty to engaging in unlawful carnal knowledge of a female under the age of 17 at the Upper Cross Hotel in Rathmines on August 27, 2005. Additionally, he confessed to possessing sexually explicit images of the girl, which were taken or obtained between April and December of 2005. The court heard that the girl, who was only 16 at the time, had initiated contact with Collins after mistakenly dialing his number in 2002, leading to an unusual initial interaction that involved voice mail messages.

Judge Katherine Delahunt noted that the case was unusual because the initial contact was accidental, and she clarified that there was no evidence to suggest Collins had engaged in grooming or a pattern of deviant behavior. She described the offense as being in the