American groomer who flew to Wales to 'marry' schoolgirl jailed
A 44-year-old American man who flew to Wales to "marry" a teenage girl he had groomed online has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison
A 44-year-old American man who flew to Wales to "marry" a teenage girl he had groomed online has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Jacob Ewing, 44, of Wildcat Pound Road, Hubert, North Carolina, forced a young girl from the Gwent area of Wales to perform "degrading" acts on herself online.
As the girl - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was turning 16, he flew to the UK to be with her, bringing wedding rings.
Ewing was arrested at Cardiff Airport, with a number of paedophilic images in his possession.
He was also carrying a knife and a wooden cosh.
On Tuesday, Judge Celia Hughes jailed Ewing for seven years and eight months at Newport Crown Court.
In total, he was sentenced for 13 offences, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard Ewing may be deported during his sentence but that this is a matter for the Home Office.
The two met online using a video chat site.
The court heard the girl's parents did not know who she was speaking to, and she initially told them she was chatting to someone local and of her age.
Defendant said he wanted to get married when she was 16
Judge Hughes said:
"He began to control her, being alternately kind and then unpleasant to her, including saying she shouldn't sleep covered up at night, even when she was cold.
"At one point she saw that the defendant had her initials tattooed on his chest."
"The defendant said he would come to the UK as she was soon to be 16, so they could get married and have children.
"We know that he brought rings with him when he came to the airport."
The police were tipped off about Ewing by the US authorities, and the girl's parents were informed.
The judge said the girl and her family have been "devastated" by Ewing's actions.
Ewing 'groomed and exploited' victim online before traveling thousands of miles to meet her
Detective superintendent Philip O'Connell of Gwent Police said:
"Ewing struck up a relationship with a 15-year-old girl online, grooming and exploiting her for over a year before travelling thousands of miles to meet her.
"Working closely with US authorities and UK Border Force he was detained at Cardiff Airport before being arrested and interviewed by our officers.
"The collaboration between agencies meant Ewing was intercepted before he was able to cause any physical harm to the victim.
"We'd like to commend the victim in this case, who's shown strength and great fortitude throughout the investigation and hope that today's sentence helps in processing and moving forward with her life."