An apprentice engineer who raped a 12-year-old girl during a party and then claimed she had led him has been locked up for 18 months.
Nabil Romero Bowers had sex with the youngster at a house in Peterhead.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that after the incident rumours started circulating that she had been raped by Bowers.
When Bowers, of Viking Way, Peterhead, was questioned by police he admitted having sex with her.
He said he stopped when she said it was painful, and added that he believed she was 14.
The court was told that Bowers previously lived in Spain, where the age of consent is 14.
However, he told police he knew the age of consent in the UK was 16.
Advocate depute Rosemary Guinnane, prosecuting, said: “Prior to this incident she had not been involved in a sexual relationship.
“Afterwards, she told a friend that something had happened that she hadn’t wanted.
“The girl later said she was crying when she made this disclosure.”
The girl did not initially tell her mother, but finally blurted out what had happened.
Ms Guinnane added: “The girl told police that the accused had sex with her and that she did not consent to what had taken place, although there is no suggestion that she specifically voiced that lack of consent prior to sex having taken place.”
The court heard that Bowers told the social worker who compiled a background report on him that the girl had led him on.
But the 19-year-old’s counsel, advocate Shahid Latif, said: “This is not the impression he intended to give. This was a gross error of judgment on his part.
“However, when he was asked to stop by the girl as he had sex with her, he stopped.”
Bowers admitted having sex with the girl on one occasion between March 1 and June 30, 2013.
Judge Lord Turnbull told Bowers: “You have pled guilty to an act of sexual intercourse with a girl who had just before this reached her 12th birthday. Parliament categorises this as rape.”
The judge said that if it had not been for his age, lack of record and good work history, he would have sentenced Bowers to two years detention.
