Young man sentenced in sexual abuse of tween

A young man got a suspended sentence after a Limassol criminal court found him guilty of sexually abusing a young teenage girl, whom he had recorded on video during a lewd act.

According to local media, a 19-year-old male was found guilty on sexual abuse and child pornography charges following a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl back in June 2022.

The young man met the tweenager on social media and they two were chatting as friends, according to reports.

But one evening, when the man was supposed to drive the young girl to her relative’s home, he asked her to have sexual intercourse and she reportedly refused.

It later emerged that a video, which he recorded with his phone and later sent to the girl, showed a non-penetrative sexual act taking place between them.

An official who spoke on state radio Tuesday morning warned parents to keep an eye on their teenagers by both respecting their privacy but also being informed about their lives.

It was also suggested during the radio conversation that a case came to light after a mother had gone through her daughter’s phone and discovered a lewd video.

A Limassol criminal court sentenced the young man to 18 months in prison, with the term being suspended for three years after a judge panel cited the defendant’s guilty plea, clean criminal record, and mild intellectual disability.

Officials have been warning parents about sexual texting, or sexting, pointing out that teenagers, especially girls, may easily fall victims of sexual extortion, or sextortion, where teens are blackmailed to give in to sexual demands to stop their nude images or videos from being shared publicly by the perpetrators.