Woman who abducted and sexually assaulted girl, 14, jailed

A woman who abducted and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for breaching a court order.

Phoebe Pearce, 25, from Newport, groomed the schoolgirl, who was aged 14 at the time, after meeting her through Facebook two years ago.

She was warned off by the teenager’s mum but Pearce lured the girl away from her home to have sexual activity with her while she was on police bail.

A court heard Pearce texted a friend saying the girl was “youngish but I don’t care”.

In September 2022, Pearce admitted grooming, abduction and sexual activity with a child at a Cardiff Crown Court hearing.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins said the relationship “quickly turned into a sexual one”.

“You did not stop, you persisted despite the mother’s protestations. A relationship developed and some sexual activity took place,” he said.

“You knew what you were doing was wrong but you carried on doing it.”

Pearce was sentenced to a three-year community order and a sexual harm prevention order with the condition not to contact the girl.

But Newport Crown Court heard Pearce messaged the girl after her 16th birthday, asking to be added by the girl on gaming site twitch and on her new Snapchat account.

The teenager’s mum contacted the police when she found out and Pearce was later arrested.

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Pearce was jailed for 17 months and issued a renewed five-year sexual harm prevention order after admitting breaching the previous order.

Sentencing Pearce, Recorder David Harris said: “You met a child following a series of sexual grooming and disobeyed the orders made against you.”