A Canadian father aged 33 will be sentenced in Canada today for grooming a 13-year-old girl online and having sex with her on two occasions in the south-west of Ireland.
Jashua Robert Tremblay has pleaded guilty to the following:
– online luring to facilitate child pornography
– online luring to facilitate sexual contact with a child under 16
– sexual contact with a child under 16.
[The prosecution follows a successful and unusual collaboration of investigations between the Canadian justice system and an Garda Síochana.
The alarm was initially raised by locals who spotted Tremblay with the child at a rented accommodation.
Forensics examinations were carried out at the accommodation as well as the girl’s phone records being investigated.
The results revealed that explicit sexual images had been exchanged online, initiated by Tremblay. He had used his real name in his social media grooming of the girl and lied about his age.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Superintendent Flor Murphy at Killarney Garda Station stated: “The case highlights the very obvious dangers of the internet.
“In this incident, a 30-year-old father living thousands of miles away in a different continent, groomed a 13-year-old vulnerable schoolgirl online and then sexually exploited her during the course of two visits to Ireland in 2013.
“The case also highlights the extensive engagement and co-operation by An Garda Síochána with police forces throughout the world.
“International borders did not deter or hinder An Garda Síochána in bringing to justice an international sex predator who committed very serious offences in this jurisdiction on a young person.”