Alexander Webber (Image: South Wales Police)
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A childcare worker who gave a 16-year-old girl cocaine before having sex with her has been sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Alexander Webber, 29, of Ewenny Road in Bridgend, admitted three counts of sexual activity with a girl by an adult in a position of trust. He was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.
Gifts and drugs
Prosecutor Ruth Smith told the court that Webber had groomed the teenager and used alcohol and drugs to manipulate her. He had bought her presents to win her confidence, and the girl came to believe he was giving her special attention.
On the day of the offences, he asked whether she “did sniff”, a reference to cocaine. He showed her the drug hidden inside a mobile phone case and took some himself. He then handed her a straw so she could snort it.
The offences
Once she had taken the cocaine, Webber touched her sexually, removed her clothes and had sex with her. The court heard she went along with it because she felt she owed him for the drugs.
She was physically shaking in the shower afterwards. While she was getting dressed, Webber came into her room, sat on her bed and kissed her. He told her he loved her, and they had sex a second time. He also took photos and videos of her on his phone, and more cocaine was taken.
Webber promised he would leave his wife and children for her once she turned 18. The court heard this left the girl feeling trapped. She was also left feeling suicidal.
The investigation
The teenager later told friends and family what had happened, and the police were called. By the time officers arrested Webber, he had already reset his phone to factory settings. In interview he denied any offences had taken place, but he went on to plead guilty. He has no previous convictions.
In her own words
Reading her statement to the court herself, the girl 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.”
Mitigation
Sali Harmes, defending, said her client was “disgusted” with himself and was “genuinely remorseful”.
She 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 he had been drinking alcohol and taking cocaine every day at the time of the offences.
Sentencing
Judge Lucy Crowther imposed a prison term of 20 months. Webber was also given a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order, each lasting 10 years. He will be subject to sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.
