Mirfield man Gareth Freeman accused of sex with girl, 13

Mar 12 2010 By Neil Atkinson

A MIRFIELD man flew to Belfast to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex and filmed their hotel room encounter, the High Court in Belfast has heard.

Prosecutors said Gareth Freeman also persuaded the girl to take explicit clips of herself and send them to him.

Freeman, 31, of Regent Street, Mirfield, met his alleged victim on a social networking site.

The accused, who is charged with a number of sexual offences involving a minor, was refused bail at the hearing.

The court has heard that Mr Freeman attempted suicide when police launched an inquiry.

He admitted viewing the footage of the pair every day until his arrest and made no attempt to destroy the images on his mobile phone despite being warned an investigation had begun, it was claimed.

A prosecution lawyer said: “Police would say the images were more compelling to this applicant than the likelihood of his apprehension.”

Freeman faces charges of inciting a child to engage in and watch sexual activity, and two counts of possessing child porn. He is also accused of meeting a child following sexual grooming.

Bail was refused due to the risk of further offences being committed.

Freeman was first arrested and brought to Northern Ireland in December when police became aware of his sexual relationship with the girl, the court heard.

Although subsequently released, in January the teenager made a formal complaint in which she said they met last September through mobile phone networking site Qeep.

It was claimed their conversations turned sexual within days, with the girl sending video clips and still photographs of her performing sex acts at his request.

Freeman allegedly also sent her a series of images he took of himself.

The prosecution lawyer added: “There was a massive amount of communication between the two parties.

“In October 2009 alone phone records show that the applicant sent the injured party 3,793 text messages and 76 media messages, which are video clips.”

A meeting was arranged between the pair at the end of the month when Freeman booked into the Park Avenue Hotel in east Belfast, according to the prosecution.