July 2009 Man who had sex with girl, 15, jailed for 3 years A JUDGE fired off a clear message about the seriousness of underage sex by sending a 30-year-old man, who repeatedly had intercourse with a girl half his age, to prison for three years. Tim Posey had a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old, from Grays, over a number of months, Basildon Crown Court heard. Standing in the dock yesterday, Posey, of no fixed address, was told by Judge John Lodge, that underage sex was a “serious matter”. Despite Posey’s mitigating counsel saying the girl had consented to sex every time, and the pair had formed a “boyfriend/girlfriend relationship”, Judge Lodge told Posey: “You embarked on a sexual relationship with a girl who was 15. “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 heard how Posey began having sex with the girl after moving to Grays from his home in Scotland to live with a different woman, in September last year. The court also heard how Posey, who had no previous convictions and plans to return to Scotland once he is released from prison, now realises his behaviour “should never have happened”. Posey pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a female child under 16 at an earlier hearing. He also admitted an offence of failing to comply with the requirements of a sexual offender’s notification order. He was told he will serve half his prison sentence before being considered for parole.