Mum who 'dragged boy, 15, into world of drugs and sex' jailed after having his baby

15 June 2022, 12:34 | Updated: 15 June 2022, 13:31

A mother who sexually abused a 15-year-old boy for months and eventually gave birth to his child, has been jailed.

Sarah Campbell of no fixed address but formerly from Bootle, has been jailed after she "engaged in regular sexual activity" with the 15-year-old victim between January 2016 and January 2017.

The court heard that the 39-year-old had sex with her victim on a golf course and under a blanket while others were sleeping in the same room.

Campbell supplied the boy with cocaine and cannabis and the pair would "get off their barnets" together when she would use him as a "sexual play thing".

During the period of abuse, predator Campbell would sneak the victim into her house and get him to hide to avoid being seen and she eventually he fell pregnant with a child.

The boy eventually found the courage to tell an adult about what had been happening to him, but Campbell "denied it all and even suggested that the boy had raped her".

This had to be investigated by the police, subjecting him to further anguish.

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Campbell pleaded not guilty, and initially failed to appear part-way through the trial which took place in May 2021.

However she was arrested on 12 May this year and brought back before the courts where she pleaded to all nine counts of sexual activity with a child.

A judge at Liverpool Crown Court jailed her for nine years and six months and and ordered her to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Pauline Newrick, a specialist lawyer in CPS Mersey-Cheshire’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit, said: "Sarah Campbell abused a young boy of 15 years of age and manipulated him into having an ongoing sexual relationship with her.

"She dragged him into an adult world of drugs and sex when he was just a child. This will inevitably taint his future life and relationships.

"He was so young - she made him believe that what she was doing was right when it clearly was not. We know this is as harmful for young boys as it is for young girls despite some of the stereotypes that surround this type of offending.

"He eventually summoned up the courage to report her for the offences and has been stoic in his decision to proceed with the matter.

"These cases are always difficult and distressing. The Crown Prosecution Service welcomes the sentence Sarah Campbell has received and we would like to thank this victim. I cannot praise him highly enough for his courage in seeing this through."

Detective Sergeant Peter Sloan aded: "Thankfully, despite trying to evade justice by failing to appear in court, Campbell is now paying for her crimes.

"The atrocious abuse that Campbell carried out not only traumatises victims when it happens, but has a huge impact on their mental wellbeing which can last a lifetime.

Read more: Social worker, 25, 'exploited' teenage boy in her care and invited him round for sex

"It can also cause irreparable damage to a victim’s faith and trust in adults, which can affect their ability to form trusting relationships.

"The bravery shown by the victim and his family in coming forward and reporting Campbell to police so that that she could be brought to justice means she cannot cause any further harm.

"Our Child Criminal Exploitation Team have been supporting the victim and his family every step of the way, and I hope Campbell’s jailing and the additional measures taken to restrict her ability to offend again reassures the victim and any other victims that police and the courts take such offences extremely seriously."