"he was a mature 11-year-old... so that narrows the arithmetic age gap..."

Quote:

A judge has been criticised after deciding not to imprison a 21-year-old babysitter who admitted sexual activity with the 11-year-old boy she was looking after. Judge Tim Mousley QC gave Jade Hatt a suspended jail term for the offence, committed in November 2014 when she was 20. Mousley said she was immature, while the boy was mature for his age, and he felt able to step outside normal sentencing guidelines. He said: “Having read everything before me, it was quite clear he was a mature 11-year-old and you were an immature 20-year-old so that narrows the arithmetic age gap between you.” The judge also took into account that the boy’s father spoke up for Hatt in court, claiming his son was “fully up for the experience”. However, the boy said he knew what had happened was wrong and he said he had not enjoyed it. A six-month jail term suspended for two years with supervision was imposed and Hatt was told she must register as a sex offender for seven years. Mousley also imposed a sexual harm prevention order banning her from having unsupervised contact with young boys for two years. Children’s charity the NSPCC expressed concern at the message the sentencing sent out. A spokesman said: “The judge’s comments in this case send out completely the wrong message and confirm a common view in society that the abuse of a young boy by a woman is somehow less serious than the abuse of a girl by a man. “The offender in this case has escaped extremely lightly and you have to wonder whether, in the same circumstances, a man would have been treated the same. “It beggars belief that Tim Mousley QC could say that the 11-year-old victim’s maturity and the abuser’s immaturity ‘narrowed the age gap’ and was reason to step outside the sentencing guidelines; this sends a deeply worrying signal. “The victim’s voice appears to have been ignored as, despite his own father claiming that his son was ‘fully up for the experience’, the boy himself said he had not enjoyed it and knew it was wrong. The effects of sexual abuse can be long lasting and it’s essential that this boy is offered the necessary support.”

Linky.

It adds up :thumbsup: .