A 25-year-old man was sentenced to prison for one year and to two additional years of probation yesterday for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 2002.

The man ? who cannot be named for legal reasons ? has been on remand since February. The sentencing yesterday came at the completion of DNA testing abroad, and the preparation of a social inquiry report and victim impact statements.

Puisne Justice Charles-Etta Simmons noted the man did not have ?an ideal upbringing? but told him ?you should have stayed away? from the girl ? who is from his neighbourhood ? at Fort Hamilton, on April 4, 2002.

Crown counsel Oonagh Vaucrosson said the victim and the defendant were drinking Bacardi Breezers at Fort Hamilton on the day in question.

?They sat and drank on a bench,? Mrs. Vaucrosson said. ?Then they moved to a bench under a bridge leading into the fort.?

They had sex in the fort, she said, but the 13-year-old girl did not agree to it.

The victim returned home where an aunt asked her about a red-bite mark on her neck. Police were called.

Upon examination at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital it was discovered that the girl had had sex.

The girl?s underwear was sent abroad for testing and found to have the man?s DNA on them.

He later admitted to Police he had sex with the 13-year-old. The maximum sentence is 20 years for the offence.

Mrs. Vaucrosson said the girl now suffers from emotional problems and was hospitalised as a result of her injuries.

?Children are more vulnerable to assaults and need to be protected,? she said.

And the fact that he gave the 13-year-old alcohol was an aggravating factor, she argued.

But lawyer Larry Scott said his client was only a ?little puppy? at the time, adding: ?There was a degree of immaturity that affected his decision making.?

Mr. Scott said his client was the victim of an environment with a lack of male guidance. ?Alcohol is in his family,? Mr. Scott said.

Mrs. Justice Simmons ordered that the man be enrolled in a sex offender?s programme and an alcohol abuse programme ?provided neither of these are longer than the sentence?.

Upon his release, he must keep in contact with Court Services and remain in his own home from 9.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m.