Alexander Webber, 29, of Bridgend, has been jailed for 20 months for sexual activity with a 16-year-old after plying her with cocaine and alcohol. He told the victim he would leave his wife and children for her, and she was left feeling suicidal.
Grooming and manipulation
Webber gained the teenager's trust after buying her gifts. On the day of the offences, he asked the victim if she "did sniff", referring to cocaine. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the victim felt the defendant was paying her special attention.
He showed her the cocaine concealed in a mobile phone case and took the drugs, before giving the victim a straw to snort the substance. When she took the drugs, he came up to her and began touching her in a sexual manner before taking her clothes off. He then had sexual intercourse with her. The court heard the victim agreed to do so, feeling like she owed Webber for the drugs.
Victim impact
When the victim later took a shower, she was physically shaking. While she was getting dressed, the defendant came into her room, sat down on her bed and kissed her. He told the victim he loved her, and they had sexual intercourse again. He also took photos and videos of the victim on his phone, and they took more cocaine.
Webber told her that when she turned 18, he would leave his wife and children for her, which made the victim feel trapped, the court heard. The victim went on to tell her friends and family what had happened, and the police were called. The defendant was arrested after he had already set his phone to factory settings. During his police interview, he denied the offences had occurred.
Reading out her statement to the court, the victim said: "Straight after it happened I felt so guilty, I knew he had a wife and kids and I felt like I needed to apologise to them. I knew it had an impact on his mental health. I kept thinking I had done that, it made me feel it was my fault and I was guilty."
"I always feel anxious and scared, I see his face everywhere - especially after it happened. I felt like I could see him every day, at the top of the stairs, in a room, when I talk to people they would have his face."
"I feel closed off and don't feel like myself because I'm in my own head and couldn't react emotionally to anything like I normally would. The doctors said I have PTSD because of the assault and the trauma. I couldn't cope with what happened and the feelings didn't go away."
"I kept thinking about what had happened. Drugs helped me to move away from what I was going through and not to think about it. It made me forget about what happened and I pretended it didn't."
Sentencing
Prosecutor Ruth Smith said the defendant groomed the victim and used alcohol and drugs to manipulate her. In mitigation, Sali Harmes said her client was "disgusted" with himself and is "genuinely remorseful". The barrister said Webber had "deep-rooted and severe mental health difficulties and has been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder, anxiety and depression". The court heard the defendant had been using alcohol and cocaine daily at the time of the offence.
Webber, of Eweny Road, later pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a girl by an adult in a position of trust. The court heard he has no previous convictions. Judge Lucy Crowther sentenced Webber to 20 months imprisonment. The defendant was also subjected to a restraining order for 10 years, a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.
