Stephen Lee Hallmark, 28, of Allington Street, Liverpool, groomed a teenage girl on Facebook and Snapchat, lying that he was 20 and persuading her to tell her family he was 15. When asked by Greater Manchester Police why he lied about his age, Hallmark said: "I didn't want her to think I was an old b*****d."
After luring her in online, Hallmark arranged to meet the girl at her own home, where the abuse began. The abuse continued three more times until he was arrested in February after the girl called the police.
Victim's statement
In a victim impact statement, the teenager said: "Since what happened to me, I feel like my life has been destroyed. I don't think I will ever fully heal from what happened."
"I'm constantly questioning myself and being tormented by flashbacks. I struggle to do anything now without it constantly being on my mind."
"I hardly go to school anymore and don't like leaving the house without my mum or dad. I hate looking at myself in the mirror or in the shower because it's a reminder that he's touched my body and I also struggle with nightmares and sleeping because I just can't stop thinking and replaying everything."
The youngster said the hardest thing for her has been grieving the person she thought Hallmark was. She said: "Having to realise it was wrong and it wasn't love, just lies, makes me feel weak and gullible for believing him. Even though I know it, I still question whether he ever loved me."
"He made me believe I was the only person who genuinely cared about him and he would tell me about how bad his life had been and how I made it better and meant everything to him. This made me not want to say anything because I felt like it would make his life worse again and like I would be hurting him by getting him into trouble."
Investigation and charges
Detectives found Hallmark carried on chatting to the child despite her having told him her age. In a bid to stop the girl from speaking to the police, he told her "go no comment" and threatened to kill himself if she revealed what he did.
He was charged with meeting a girl under 16 following grooming and four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child aged 13 to 15.
Sentencing and police comment
Hallmark was sentenced to six years in prison with a further three years on licence by a judge at Bolton Crown Court on Thursday (August 20). He will also be subject to a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 15-year restraining order, and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Det Cons Alex Dibden thanked the girl for coming forward, adding: "She has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings."
Dibden added: "Thanks to the survivor's courage and the evidence gathered during our investigation, Hallmark has now been held accountable for his actions. This case should serve as a reminder to parents and carers to have regular conversations with young people about their online activity. Offenders can use social media and messaging platforms to build trust, manipulate children and arrange contact in the real world."
To report abuse, call the police on 101 or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email help@NSPCC.org.uk. In an emergency, call 999.
