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An Irish tennis coach has been arrested in the US for allegedly grooming a young girl for sex.

Mark O'Neill, 36, who is from Dublin and living in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was arrested on March 24 as part of a probe into online predators by American cops, The Irish Sun reports.

A text allegedly sent from O'Neill to the girl read: “Tonight could you try to meet me, we can try and have some fun, and you think you want to try and have sex?”

He also suggested that they could "just make out and maybe touch a little" in another text.

An affidavit detailing all of the allegations states O’Neill “admitted to being the individual who was communicating with the purported child during all of their communications”.

He now faces charges for unlawful contact with a minor, attempted statutory sexual assault and criminal use of a communication facility.

(Image: Google Maps)

Since the allegations arose, O'Neill has been sacked from his role coaching children at Hillcrest Racquet Club in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Marc Jacobs, general manager at the Hillcrest club, told The Irish Sun: “There was just no way that anyone could have ever anticipated anything like this whatsoever.”

(Image: Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office)

O'Neill, who is married with two young daughters, is now in Northampton County Prison after being unable to pay a bail bond of $500,000 (€413,000).”

After charging O'Neill, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said: “This case is disturbing because the defendant regularly coaches young women the same age as the one he (allegedly) attempted to inappropriately proposition.”