An Illawarra predator begged a teenager to meet up with him, promising to give her cannabis, before he raped her under the cover of darkness in a residential street.
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Thomas Joseph Cruickshanks, 30, dialled into Wollongong Local Court from custody on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual intercourse with a child aged 14.
Cruickshanks met the minor through mutual friends and they had spent some time together prior to his offending.
According to tendered court documents, he was fully aware of her age, having been told by the minor herself, with pictures also posted on her birthday on her social media accounts.
Cruickshanks messaged the girl in the early hours of October 31, asking "what u doin (sic)" ... "wanna hang out for a bit".
"Mm no," the girl replied, but Cruickshanks persisted.
"Why?"
"Because."
"Just tell me why haha I won't get mad ... can I come see ya ... oi," he said, later adding "Need to talk to u about something".
The girl asked what he had to say, but Cruickshanks told her it could only be said in person and that it will "take like 5 10 min max promise x".
"Also got some weed if u want it," he added.
"Mm sure but are you being serious about the weed?" the minor asked several times.
Cruickshanks asked where he could meet the girl and sent a picture of marijuana on a set of scales to prove he had the drugs.
Shortly after the exchange, Cruickshanks and the minor met up at around 2am under a large tree on an Illawarra street, the victim sitting on a skateboard.
He began touching her before he removed her and his pants, then pulled her off the skateboard and onto the ground, where he raped her.
Cruickshanks was not wearing a condom and placed his hands around her throat during the incident, causing the girl pain.
When he got off the victim, he pulled his pants up and started talking about poker machines.
The girl put her clothing on and left before she contacted a parent, a friend, and a sibling about what had just happened, with police notified shortly after.
Police attended the girl's home and she told officers Cruickshanks would often touch her, but that she didn't know how to disclose this to anyone.
Her clothing was seized and she underwent a sexual assault investigation kit at the hospital.
Cruickshanks was arrested the following day. He pleaded guilty to his offending on Wednesday and will receive his sentence date next month.
Got a court tip? Email grace.crivellaro@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
