Woman jailed for child sex offences at secure unit in Bucks
She has been jailed for two years and two months
A young woman who admitted child sex offences against a "vulnerable'' 15-year-old boy at a secure training centre in Buckinghamshire has been jailed for two years and two months.
Ashley Wright, aged 26, was sentenced at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court for abusing a position of trust to incite the child to engage in sexual activity while she was working as a secure care officer at the Buckinghamshire unit.
She had previously admitted this offence, along with sexual touching and engaging in sexual communications with a child.
The charges relate to a 15-year-old boy, who cannot legally be identified, between May 13 and December 31, 2019.
Wright appeared in the dock for her sentencing on Tuesday wearing a black blazer and trousers with a white blouse and black face covering.
Patrick Duffy, prosecuting, said one of Wright's colleagues had noticed Wright and the boy engaging in inappropriate behaviour in front of other children at the facility, including "inappropriately touching each other's thighs underneath a desk''.
He added that when the colleague confronted her, Wright told them:
"I'm not doing anything wrong."
Another child at the centre also complained that Wright "treated him differently'' to the victim by allowing the victim to bully him, which Mr Duffy said was "a result of their sexual relationship''.
Speaking about the victim, Mr Duffy said:
"He was a vulnerable child and she was employed to care for him and obviously there is a breach of trust there.''
He told the court that photographs of the victim touching Wright's naked breasts and of them kissing, along with an eight-page "love letter'' were found during a police search of her home in September 2020.
Defence lawyer James Francis Keeley described Wright as a "hard-working young woman'' who was "deeply ashamed'' of her behaviour.
He told the court:
"What makes this an unusual and exceptional case is the defendant is 26 years of age, of previous good character, and has genuine, heartfelt remorse for what she has done and the breach of trust she has caused in this case.''
Judge Rajeev Shetty said her sentence had been reduced by one-third due to Wright entering early guilty pleas, but he had also considered the fact she continued the relationship with the victim while under police investigation.
Speaking about the victim, Judge Shetty told the court:
"You had responsibility for his welfare and safety.
"Instead of safeguarding these things, you had a sexual relationship with him.''
He added:
"The period of time over which offences continued is very significant.
"Despite being under investigation, you continued the relationship, and levels of intimacy increased rather than decreased.''
Wright, from Wigston, Leicestershire, had entered guilty pleas at a hearing at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court in May.