SAN JOSE (KCBS) -- The trial of a 22-year-old Saratoga man accused of having sex with a teenage girl he met on Myspace is reminder that parents should monitor their kids’ online activities, prosecutors said.
Anthony Uckele faces up to 78 years in prison if convicted on all 36 counts of child sexual abuse being brought by authorities for a 7-month relationship he had with a 12-year-old he met online.
Uckele claimed to be 16 years old, while the girl also lied about her age, claiming to be 15. Myspace requires users to be at least 14, but the site does not independently verify the age users state when they register.
“The predators are getting more and more sophisticated, and more and more advanced, and these children are just not in the position to be able to judge the credibility or the level of threat that someone who, on the Internet or even in person, appears to be closer to their own age,” said Deputy District Attorney Jim Shore.
Speaking outside court on Monday after opening arguments, Shore urged parents to keep track of what sites their children visit online.
“Parents need to make sure that they really have a handle on how much time their children are spending on the Internet and who they’re communicating with on the Internet,” Shore said.
Uckele met the girl in October of 2005 after sending her a message through the popular social networking website.
His attorneys said they would argue that the girl had embellished their relationship when questioned by investigators, and that he tried to break things off when he realized her true age.
The prosecution will try and prove that Uckele had history of having sex with underage girls he met on MySpace.
(jro)
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KCBS's Matt Bigler reports
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