A YOUNG man put his head in his hands and cried as he was acquitted of having sex with an underage girl.

Jamie Richard Suttle, 25, had told the jury at York Crown Court he didn’t know the true age of the 15-year-old girl when they had consensual sex.

He said she had told others including a Jehovah’s Witness and bar staff that she was 18 when they were out on a date together in Selby town centre.

Mr Suttle denied the girl’s account that she told him via Facebook that she was 15. He also denied that when the couple returned to the girl’s home, the woman with whom she was living had told him the girl was under age and asked him if he thought it was appropriate to buy a 15-year-old girl alcohol.

The jury heard police were unable to find any messages between the two on Facebook referring to her age.

Mr Suttle, of Selby, denied a charge of sexual activity with an underage girl and was acquitted by a jury after it had been in retirement for 40 minutes.

She told the jury she had dressed and behaved as if she was older than she really was and had drunk a bottle and a half of wine and taken drugs before meeting Mr Suttle in Selby.

York Press:

Mr Suttle denied deliberately plying her with alcohol and told the jury he was unaware she had had to be home by a certain time and that they had left so that he could meet a friend.

He also denied prosecution suggestions that he had only been interested in having sex with her. He said that the girl had initiated their sex together and that if he had known her true age he would have immediately left her home.