This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23004956
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Jeremy Forrest abduction case: Teacher admits sex charges | Jeremy Forrest abduction case: Teacher admits sex charges |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A teacher has been jailed for five and a half years for abducting and having sex with a 15-year-old pupil he ran off with to France. | |
| Jeremy Forrest, 30, was previously convicted of child abduction and has admitted five charges of having sex with a child. | |
| Forrest, from Petts Wood, London, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court. | |
| The prosecution said he was a paedophile who groomed a vulnerable girl at the Eastbourne school. | The prosecution said he was a paedophile who groomed a vulnerable girl at the Eastbourne school. |
| Extradition proceedings | Extradition proceedings |
| Forrest gave no evidence in his defence during the eight-day trial. | Forrest gave no evidence in his defence during the eight-day trial. |
| After the pair were brought back from France, Forrest was not charged with sex offences for legal reasons linked to his extradition. | After the pair were brought back from France, Forrest was not charged with sex offences for legal reasons linked to his extradition. |
| But he admitted those offences in court on Friday minutes after being charged with them. | But he admitted those offences in court on Friday minutes after being charged with them. |
| During the hearing, the court heard statements from the mother of the teenager saying she felt like "the worst mother in the world". | During the hearing, the court heard statements from the mother of the teenager saying she felt like "the worst mother in the world". |
| She said: "Someone got my child and I never saw it coming or saw it while it was happening." | She said: "Someone got my child and I never saw it coming or saw it while it was happening." |
| Defence lawyer Ronald Jaffa said only a jail term was appropriate for the serious offences and he did not seek to excuse what happened but place them in context. | |
| The court heard Forrest, a gifted teacher who gave vibrant and interesting classes, had been in an unhappy marriage and had sought medical help for depression. | |
| Mr Jaffa said Forrest's caring attitude led to the girl to ask him for help with a number of issues and he later realised she had a crush on him. | |
| And he said: "He unfortunately fell in love and crossed the line at a time when he was in a very low position and depressed." |