A 25-year-old professional soccer player who had sex with an under-age girl against her will in Galway city last February, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at the local Circuit Court yesterday, with the recommendation that he be deported next month.
John Otis Brown, a native of Liberia, admitted having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl aged under 15 years, at a hotel in Salthill, Galway, on February 3rd last. Brown had been in Galway for a trial with Galway United Football Club at the time of the offence.
The girl, who was 14 at the time, said that she came into the city for a music lesson on the evening of February 3rd. She was standing on a footpath in Salthill when Brown approached her.
He invited her to his hotel bedroom but she told him she had another appointment. She agreed to meet him afterwards.
She told him it was illegal in this State to have sex with an under-age girl, but he ignored her and had intercourse with her against her will.
Brown was arrested later that evening and in a statement to gardai said the girl told him she was 18 and had consented to sex.
Det Sgt Sean O'Grady said the girl had denied this. Brown, the court was told, had a Liberian passport with a visa, issued in Germany, for travel to Ireland.
Judge Carroll Moran said the appropriate sentence was 18 months, backdated to last February. He put the case in for review on December 12th and made a recommendation that the accused be deported to Germany.