A MAN who had sex with a 15-year-old girl after paying her $200 “floored it” when her older brother emerged from bushes at their second meeting, driving into him at high speed, a Perth court has heard.
Praveen Krishnan is on trial in the District Court of Western Australia, charged with seven offences including dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
The court heard he was 29 in 2017 when when he allegedly contacted the teen via Facebook, promising her $1000 to meet him then threatening to post a scantily-clad photo of her online if she didn’t agree.
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READ NOWAfter they had sex, he sent her more threatening messages in a bid to secure another rendezvous, prosecutor Alan Dungey said.
The girl told her older brother what happened, so he accompanied her to a car park where she had arranged to meet Krishnan and hid behind bushes, Mr Dungey said.
When the brother emerged, Krishnan “floored it” and hit him.
He smashed the windscreen, was scooped onto the roof and fell onto the road as Krishnan drove off, suffering a fractured eye socket.
The court heard the accused admitted in a police interview he’d had sex with the girl but claimed she had suggested “hooking up” and told him she was almost 18.
Krishnan also claimed the brother jumped onto the bonnet and he drove away because he “freaked out”.
Mr Dungey alleged Krishnan had previously made improper suggestions to two 14-year-old girls online, offering one of them $1000 for sex then upping it to $6000 after she refused.
The other was an undercover police officer.
Defence counsel Sean O’Sullivan told the jury not to assume the state could prove its case.
“Things are not always as they seem,” he said.
The trial continues.
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