Andrew Stones sentenced to 30 months for sexual assault

A Halifax-area tattoo artist has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

The charge against Andrew Thomas Stones, 32, stems from an incident in Lower Sackville, N.S., in 2015.

Stones had met the girl through the dating app, Tinder, which requires users to be a minimum of 18 years old.

Court was told the girl lied on the app and subsequently told Stones she was 16, which is the age of consent.

However, Judge Claudine MacDonald ruled that Stones failed to take adequate precautions to establish she was of legal age.

Stones agreed, telling the court, "One night I didn't ask enough questions. It was not her fault at all."

In her victim impact statement, the girl, who is now in her 20s and a mother herself, worried about her daughter finding herself in a similar situation.

The Crown had been asking for a sentence in the range of three-and-a-halfto four years.

Stones's lawyer suggested two years, plus probation was an appropriate sentence.

But MacDonald said deterrence and denunciation are paramount considerations for sentencing in situations like this and she settled on the 30-month term.

In addition, Stones's name goes on the national sex offender registry, his DNA goes in a national database and he's under orders to stay away from his victim.