COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA (WTVR) - A 19-year-old Virginia man was convicted of having sex with a child he met on Facebook. Philip A. Hall, of Sandston, was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Battery and one count of Carnal Knowledge of a 13 year old.
"Parents need to watch and be very cautious about what their children are doing online," said Colonial Heights Commonwealth's Attorney Bill Bray."When they are friending people on Facebook, they may be total strangers, they may be lying about who they are and there are definitely predators out there."
Prosecutors said in June, Hall drove from Sandston to Colonial Heights to have sex with the child whom he friended on Facebook two weeks earlier.
They said Hall and the child had sex in the woods behind the Home Depot on Conduit Road. Hall told prosecutors the sex was consensual and that if he were ever in the same situation again, he would be sure to get the consent in writing.
"There was a death of innocence for this young lady," Bray said. "I am sure she will be dealing with this for the rest of her life."
Hall faces 50 years in prison when he is sentenced in March. He will remain jailed until his sentencing date. Hall will also be ordered to register as a sex offender on the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry.
