Stroud News
Man guilty of sex with girl, 13
3:10pm Tuesday 7th February 2012
A STONEHOUSE man has been convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old girl he met at a party.
Gloucester Crown Court heard that Sean O'Dowd, aged 30, of Bath Road, Stonehouse, took the girl for a walk before laying his coat on the ground to have sex with her in September 2008.
O'Dowd met the girl at a party and they had both been drinking, the court heard. Around 18 months later he again engaged in sexual activity with the girl when she was 14.
O'Dowd denied three charges of sexual activity with a child and said none of the alleged incidents happened.
He told police the allegations ‘made him feel sick.’
A jury convicted him of all three charges on Thursday after a four day trial. Prosecutor
Jane Rowley said the offences were reported to police in July 2010 when the girl 'realised what she had done was wrong.’
Ms Rowley said O’Dowd has 26 previous convictions for 49 offences - although none were of a sexual nature.
Jason Coulter, for the defence, requested a pre-sentence report be compiled because O'Dowd’s had suffered with poor health over the last two years.
Sentencing will take place on February 24.