Sudbury man doubted new partner was 17. Turns out, she was just 13

The first time Damien Hardy met a girl he had contacted on Instagram, he suspected she was not 17. He should have listened to those doubts two years ago. The girl was actually 13. Hardy, then 20, did not confront the girl about her age. Had he learned she was 13, he should have ended contact because she was a minor. Hardy did not. In July 2023, a Greater Sudbury Police officer even visited Hardy to tell him to end the relationship due to the female’s age, after her family learned Hardy wa