Two men have been jailed for having sex with an underage girl they met on a beach.

Daniel William Kelly and Christopher John Crellin had initially pleaded not guilty to having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16.

But they changed their plea to guilty this week on the day they were due to stand trial at the Court of General Gaol Delivery.

The offences related to a 14-year-old girl, who the pair had met on Port Erin beach on the evening of March 25.

The court heard that the teenager and her friends were all aged 14 or 15 and had brought their own alcohol to the beach.

There was flirtatious behavior from the defendants towards the group but the prosecution said it must have been obvious to the defendants that they might be underage. 

The victim and one of her friends told them that they were 16-17 in order to have more drinks bought for them at the nearby pub. 

But their true ages were confirmed to Kelly and Crellin by the rest of the group – and it must have been obvious to the defendants that they might be underage, the prosecution said.

Kelly asked whether someone had a ‘free house’ which led to the victim to invite them back to a house which was due to be empty until the late evening.

Kelly called in at the Co-op to buy a bottle of vodka before the two men accompanied the group of friends on the bus back to the house where the offences were committed. 

The offences came to light when the victim's relatives arrived at the property after being unable to contact her.  

Deemster Bernard Richmond KC told the pair that they should feel ‘ashamed’ of their ‘very serious offences’.

Kelly, aged 31, of Empire Terrace, Douglas was jailed for three years and Crellin, aged 34, of Ballafletcher Road, Douglas, was sent to prison for two years and nine months.

Both men were placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.