A man has been charged with paying for sex with a prostitute in Donegal.
It is believed to be one of the first charges of its kind in Donegal since paying for sex became a criminal offence in March 2017.
The case was before Letterkenny District Court this week.
The man cannot be named at this stage of proceedings.
He was charged that on a date in 2023, at a named location in the Letterkenny area, that he did pay money or any form of remuneration for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a prostitute.
The charge is brought under section 7A of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 as inserted by section 25 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) previously directed that the matter be dealt with summarily in the District Court.
The case has been adjourned to a later sitting of the District Court.
Under Irish law, it is illegal to pay for sex, but the act of selling sex itself is not a criminal offence.
The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 introduced this legislation as part of a shift to target demand rather than those involved in prostitution. The law aims to curb exploitation and human trafficking by penalising those who purchase sex.
Under the same Act, those who offer their services as a sex worker are not committing an offence, but brothel keeping – where two or more people work together – is an offence.