Man from Kells area pleads guilty to charge of 'attempted sexual communication with child' in 'decoy' incident
A man from the Kells area has pleaded guilty to a charge of 'attempted sexual communication with child' in a 'decoy' incident.
He committed the offence on June 30, 2025.
Mark Mawhinney (33), of Steeple Road, was in the dock at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Full details of the background to the case were not outlined but a prosecutor told an earlier court it is a "decoy" case.
The decoy was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl, according to the charge sheet.
A defence lawyer told the earlier court the defendant has a "significant learning disability" and an issue in the case was whether he had been "persuaded or pressured by the decoy".
The previous court heard there may have been a "fitness to plead" issue and a medical assessment had been sought. At Thursday's court it was said the assessment is the defendant is fit to enter a plea.
After pleading guilty the case was adjourned to July 23 for a pre-sentence report.