A 16-year-old boy was raped on a beach after meeting his attacker on a dating app. Neil Elliott, 63, has been jailed for four years after raping the teenager in 2022.
A court heard how the boy, who was under state care at the time, was lured to a beach in County Waterford, southeast Ireland, by Elliott on August 8. The 16-year-old had been at a nearby caravan park where he had been on a dating app and met the 63-year-old. The pair had sent photographs to each other and Elliott sent a text that day asking if they could meet up.
As reported by the Irish Times, social care workers responsible for looking after the boy called police at around 9.30pm to report him missing. They said he had left the holiday home and they were concerned for his wellbeing.
The Central Criminal Court heard officers arrived around 30 minutes later and carried out a search of the local area. They then found Elliott, of Milestone Cottage, Cheekpoint, Co Waterford, and the teenager on the beach with the man telling officers they were friends and had been out for a walk.
However, after being returned to the care of his social workers, the teenager reported that he had engaged in oral sex with Elliott. He later revealed to detectives that he told Elliott “no” during the sexual interaction and “almost passed out” during the anal rape despite telling the man to stop.
Elliott was quickly arrested and police examined his phone messages. He claimed he believed the teenager was 17-years-old rather than 16.
Colman Cody, defending, told the court Elliott acknowledged the victim was “vulnerable in the care system”. He also wrote a letter of apology to the teenager, saying sorry for the fact he “got caught up with my life at the time”.
In a victim impact statement, the teenager said he felt “dirty, used and violated” after the attack. He also turned to drugs and drink due to the mental impact and post-traumatic stress disorder caused by the rape.
Judge Paul Burns said Elliott subjected the victim to a “rough and aggressive ordeal involving both anal and oral rape”. He sentenced him to five years with the final year suspended on strict conditions including engagement with the Probation Service and a supervision order.
