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A Sydney court has sentenced Friday Fredrick Jeremiah, a youth support worker from Nigeria, to a minimum of six months in jail after having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a homeless shelter.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine months in jail and a non-parole period of half a year. The court heard that Jeremiah exploited the teenager’s vulnerability and had sexual intercourse with her in a nearby park.

The court was told, “This caused the victim to feel uncomfortable and she did not say much.“The therapeutic youth support worker later led the victim away from the shelter to a nearby park, grabbed her head and kissed her which she said also made her feel uncomfortable,”

It is alleged that Jeremiah led the teenager against a tree pulled down her pants and engaged in sexual activity with her thereafter. Reports indicate that Jeremiah asked the girl to return to the shelter after ten minutes to avoid drawing any suspicion. Thereafter the girl messaged a friend and narrated her ordeal with Jeremiah. The court was informed,

“Jeremiah continued to message her for months after the incident, even after she left the shelter for long-term accommodation.

“At one stage, he sent her a picture of his genitalia with the message: ‘Let the sleeping dog lay’ to which she did not respond.

“She later sent Jeremiah a message about boundaries and told him their relationship was unprofessional and should not be continued,”

In his sentencing, Judge Andrew Scotting said that Jeremiah was “secretive” and “deceptive’ when it came to their relationship. Allegedly, Jeremiah asked the teenager to save his contact as “Uncle Chad” so nobody would know it was his number. He also told her not to tell anyone about their friendship.

The judge described the actions as a breach of trust noting the significant age gap between the couple. Judge Scotting noted,

“The victim was a resident because she was vulnerable and the offender took advantage of that vulnerability to get close to her and have sexual intercourse with her,” Jeremiah will be eligible for parole on December 3.

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