Youth worker is jailed for sexual activity with teen
A YOUTH worker who had a sexual relationship with a teenager while he was on bail has been jailed.
Jade Newbould abused her position of trust by embarking on an intimate relationship with a youth who was on bail for a very serious criminal offence.
A court heard she used her personal phone to exchange thousands of messages with the boy and regularly met him for sex.
Even after the 16-year-old was jailed, she visited him in custody and police found pictures of them in her bedroom and other evidence showing she believed they were in a normal relationship.
Now the 29-year-old, of Orchard Way, Bedlington, Northumberland, has been jailed for a year at Newcastle Crown Court.
Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said the sexual relationship between the pair came to light from information provided by others and the youth did not want to make a complaint.
Miss Dowling said: “The charges to which she has pleaded guilty are revealed in lengthy WhatsApp conversations.
“Sexual intercourse took place between her and the 16-year-old on a number of occasions.”
The court heard there were more than 17,000 WhatsApp messages between them over a two-month period.
Miss Dowling said: “There are numerous conversations of a sexual nature. The prosecution say she knew from the outset, because of her role, she couldn’t initiate such communication, therefore she groomed him and encouraged him to make the first move of a sexual nature towards her.”
The court heard the messages began with flirting and discussions of massages and holding hands and going on dates, such as to the cinema.
The messages then demonstrate they had moved on to kissing.
When the youth tells Newbould they need to keep it between themselves, she says: “You don’t need to tell me that, I’m risking more than you”. She also said they were a “perfect match”.
They also discussed sexual activity they had engaged in, including some at a cinema after his court case had finished for the day. She also arranged for him to go to her house for sex and she described how they had been “at it like rabbits” and told him she loved him. Miss Dowling said: “They discussed intimate details of their encounters.
“It’s clear they were getting a kick out of keeping their relationship from others.
“It’s clear she had a distorted view of her relationship. She perceived them to be in an emotional relationship. She had pictures of them as a couple in her bedroom.”
The court heard that after the teenager was jailed, Newbould sent him numerous letters and phoned and visited him with his family. She also transferred money to him in prison. Miss Dowling said: “She was clearly very concerned about the fact she could end up in prison herself. She said ‘I’ve put so much on the line, if I wasn’t serious it would not have happened, you know what I mean’. She made reference to knowing she could be locked up.”
Newbould pleaded guilty to five counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child in breach of a position of trust. As well as the 12-month prison sentence, she must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.