Mich. Man Sentenced After Meeting 15-Year-Old Boy on Grindr

A man from Flint, Mich. was sentenced to prison Thursday for having sex with a 15-year-old boy he met on the gay dating app Grindr, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Burhan Ahmed Mian, 27, was found guilty of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a male between 13 and 15. He will spend between one year to 15 years in prison, but will be given credit for already serving 160 days in jail.

"This case is a strict liability case. The young man who was a victim here was not lawfully able to give consent," Judge Michael P. Hatty said, according to the newspaper. "I recognize he was close to 16, but the law protects those under 16. That's just the way the law is written and that's what I'm to follow.

"I believe this defendant did believe this young man was over 16 based on what he was told and was corroborated by a friend of the young man, but nonetheless the law applies and the victim is to be protected because of his youth," Hatty continued.

Local police said Mian was one of four men who separately "connected with" the underage teen on Grindr. The encounters took place in January and March and were reported by a family member of the young teen. It was not revealed how the relative knew about the boy's alleged encounters.

The men allegedly picked up the teen, who is now 16, and went to undisclosed locations to have sex.

The three other men involved took plea deals. Two of them were given jail sentences and probation while a third was only given probation. The Detroit Free Press reports the men were sentenced under Michigan's Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. If the men successfully complete their probation then they will not have a public criminal record, according to the act. The newspaper adds Mian was not eligible for the act.

It was reported in December that Alex Peter Benedict, 24, was sentenced to six months in jail for the sexual encounters with the unnamed teen boy.

"I did not see predatory conduct, but he has a duty to make sure the person is of age," Hatty said at the time in reference to Benedict. "I do recognize the circumstances under which this happened."