A British woman who groomed a teenage girl and eventually had sex with her has been jailed for more than two years.
Ellee Nicoll, 25, of Swindon, Wiltshite, "cultivated" the relationship with the young girl with months of sexting before sitting down with the girl to watch a film about lesbianism, as reported by The Sun. She picked the movie to "normalise" what she wanted, it was heard.
However, the relationship came to light after the young girl's mother became concerned about how close the pair were becoming and sat the girl down to talk about grooming, which left the girl feeling "sick," prosecutors said.
Nicoll Bought the Girl Gifts, Gave Her Cash
Judge Jason Taylor QC, sitting at Swindon Crown Court, heard that the victim had been struggling with her mental health, and initially looked up to Nicoll as a "big sister." He told Nicoll she "must have realised" what she was doing, adding: "Alarm bells should have been ringing loud and clear in your mind, but you were seemingly tone deaf."
Prosecutor Andrew Houston said the young girl and Nicoll started exchanging explicit photos of themselves. Nicoll then started buying the youngster gifts and handing her cash before the pair developed a "heavy sexual flirtation" and became "touchy feely" with each other.
Nicoll Had Sex with the Teen at Her House, Called It the 'Best Night of Her Life'
One night, when Nicoll stayed over at the girl's house, the pair slept in the same bed, where they watched a lewd film and agreed to "do stuff to each other." In the days that followed, Nicoll described it as "the best night of her life", and the victim said she had "no regrets."
But while Judge Taylor said Nicoll may not have "set out" to groom the youngster, she had caused huge harm. "When she sent you naked images of herself, the appropriate thing to do was gently say 'it is not appropriate'," he said. "You didn't. You had become so desensitised from her age it didn't give you pause for thought in the cold hard light of day."
"'No regrets' for [the victim] turned to embarrassment, and by the time she was interviewed by police, she felt sick," he added. "Sometimes teenagers just need to be protected from themselves."
Nicoll was sentenced to immediate custody after admitting sexual activity with a child and sexual communication with a child. She was also ordered to comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, as well as a restraining order preventing her from contacting the victim.
