A registered sex offender is back behind bars after he had sex with another underage girl.
Connor Ferries, 25, was barred from having any contact with children under 16 after he was convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old after a High Court rape trial in 2021.
On that occasion, he was sentenced to 33 months in jail but was released immediately having spent time on remand since October 2019.
But he breached a condition of his release on July 18 2022 when he met up with a 17-year-old girl and her 15-year-old partner.
Had sex with young girl while partner went for cigarette
He met with them both to socialise at a flat in Aberdeen but quickly went on to have sex with the younger girl while her partner left for a cigarette outside.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said the 17-year-old invited him round to her flat to socialise with her and her partner.
“The accused was aware that she was 15 years old,” the fiscal said.
But during the course of the evening, when the older girl went out to her balcony and closed the door to have a cigarette, Ferries took advantage of that 15-minute window to start having sex with the younger girl.
When she returned inside the pair stopped having sex and she ran out of the flat in tears, the court heard.
Ferries followed her outside and spoke to her about what had happened and both he and the younger girl “repeatedly apologised” to her.
Denied meeting girl to police
Later that week, police officers received information suggesting that Ferries had been in the company of the 15-year-old girl.
He denied having met up with the young girl – but a search of his phone found a Snapchat he had sent to her “in which he appeared to be apologising”.
He admitted intentionally or recklessly having sexual intercourse with an older child and breaching a sexual harm order.
Defence agent Paul Barnett said Ferries gave a different version of events to him.
“His position is he was invited to take part in a three-way sexual encounter but midway through the encounter she became jealous and left,” he said.
Mr Ferries went after her and appeased her and she came back to the flat.
“He is adamant his position is the true position.”
He is ‘particularly immature’
The solicitor added that Ferries had suffered from a difficult childhood and also suffers from ADHD, learning difficulties and depression.
“Ultimately, he accepts that he knew the girl was 15,” Mr Barnett said.
“He is 25 but presents as a particularly immature 25-year-old.”
He added it was “little surprise he grew up to be a somewhat emotionally damaged individual” and that he perhaps “gravitates towards socialising with people considerably younger than him” because of his immaturity.
Sheriff Ian Wallace sentenced Ferries, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, to three years in jail.
He also placed him on the sex offender’s register again and placed him under licence for the three years following his release.
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