A 21-year-old man from Collie has narrowly avoided an immediate term of imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to repeatedly having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend.
The man, who cannot be named in order to protect his victim, faced Bunbury District Court on Monday and admitted three counts of sexually penetrating a child over 13 and under 16 years of age.
On nights between May and July 2016, the man visited the Collie Visitors Centre with his 14-year-old victim.
The pair climbed onto a train carriage which is on display at the centre and had sex.
On July 7 the pair visited Fairview Primary School after hours and again engaged in sexual intercourse on the school oval.
Defence lawyer Derek Hunter said his client had been diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability and was assessed as being at a low risk of reoffending.
Judge Ronald Birmingham said the man had been aware of the girl’s age and he knew it could get him into trouble.
“He was honest with the police about what he had done and a fast-tracked plea of guilty saved the young girl from having to give evidence,” Judge Birmingham said.
“But there is no doubt he knew her age and that what he was doing was wrong.
"You were a young adult but she was just a young schoolgirl and even though she agreed to have sex with you, it wasn’t appropriate.”
Judge Birmingham sentenced the man to 18 months imprisonment on each of the three charges to be served concurrently.
The sentence was suspended for 18 months with strict conditions to give him a chance to access rehabilitation.