STV NewsA man who raped a missing 12-year-old girl has been jailed for five years.
Erick Fragnito exploited the youngster at his then home in Burntisland, Fife in June 2023.
The 27-year-old later claimed he thought the child was older than she was.
Fragnito appeared at the High Court in Glasgow where he admitted to charges of sexual assault and rape.
The court heard how the girl had been reported missing having not come back home the previous night.
Fragnito then happened to meet the victim and her friends before inviting them back to his home.
He drank alcohol and smoked cannabis while there – the girl did at one stage as well.
It was soon after Fragnito went on to prey on the vulnerable youngster.
Fragnito had been scheduled to appear at an earlier court date, but failed to show and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Jailing him, Lord Mulholland told the sex attacker: “As you now know, having sex with a 12-year-old girl is rape – that is the law.
“There was a large age gap between you and her. You were a mature adult and should have controlled the situation.”
Lord Mulholland cut the term from six years due to the guilty plea.
Fragnito, now of Dunfermline, also Fife, was put on the sex offenders list for life.
The judge added the content of a pre-sentencing social work did Fragnito “no credit” although the exact details were not revealed during the hearing.
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