Mother and partner sought ‘sexual highs’ by abusing son

AMOTHER and her partner have been jailed for treating her little boy as a “mere sexual object” as they sought “increasing sexual highs” together.

The youngster was subjected to months of sexual assaults and abuse, including being forced to use a sex toy on his mother and posing for a “naked selfie” with her. He was even abused while on holiday.

On one occasion the couple had sex while the boy lay on a blow-up mattress under their bed after going to their bedroom following a nightmare.

The man and woman, who come from the Swansea Bay area but who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, had previously pleaded guilty to a string of offences when they appeared at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing.

The mum had pleaded guilty to sexual assaults, to taking an indecent photograph of a child, inciting a child to commit a sexual act and causing a child to watch a sexual act. Her partner had pleaded guilty to sexual assaults and to inciting a child to perform a sexual act. Both had also pleaded guilty to a joint charge of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

The court had previously heard how the abuse came to light following concerns raised by a former partner of the man, who had ended their relationship after finding out he was having an affair.

Then, while going through her computer, she found videos her ex had uploaded from his mobile phone which showed him talking about wanting sex with the son of the woman he had been having an affair with.

Dean Pulling, prosecuting, told the court the videos were “at best obscene and in some cases described as disturbing and perverted”.

After receiving the information from the woman, police went to the house where the couple and the son were living. The pair initially told police the videos found on the computer had just been “fantasy” and role-playing.

Robin Rouch, for the boy’s mum, had said she came from a good family and there was no suggestion anything like the current offending had happened before she began a relationship with the co-defendant.

He said she had made full admissions to police in order to spare her son from having to give evidence.

Ian Wright, for the woman’s partner, had said his client had been an industrious man and, though he had previous convictions, there was nothing of a like nature on his record.

The barrister said that in entering guilty pleas, the defendant had accepted his wrongdoing and his need for help to address the issues he had.

A pre-sentence report into the male offender described him as being “predatory in his pursuit of sexual gratification” and somebody who poses a significant risk to prepubescent children, both boys and girls.

A similar report into the boy’s mother said the abuse of her son was part of the couple’s “pursuit of ever-increasing sexual highs”.

Judge Peter Heywood told the defendants they had been involved in a “joint enterprise” of abuse of the boy and had treated him as a “mere sexual object”. Each defendant was given a 12-year extended sentence, with seven-and-a-half years in custody. Both will be registered sex offenders for the rest of their lives and were made subjects of sexual harm prevention orders.

Children’s charity NSPCC Cymru praised the bravery of the boy in speaking out.

A spokesman said: “The young victim in this case suffered horrific sexual abuse at the hands of people who should have been caring for him.

“Abuse ruins childhoods and its effects can last into adulthood, so it is vital that he receives the best available support to recover from what happened to him.”

Any young person can call Childline on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk. Adults concerned about a child’s safety can call the NSPCC Helpline 0808 8005000 or nspcc.org.uk