Single mother Angela Sullivan jailed for sex with 12-year-old

Single mother Angela Sullivan jailed for sex with 12-year-old

February 26, 2010

A single mother who had sex with a 12 year old boy almost 200 times has been jailed at Teesside Crown Court for nine years.



Angela Sullivan, 36, marked each encounter with a star in a sordid diary and gave the boy a pair of trainers as a reward after he slept with her for the 100th time.

In one entry in her diary for August 1 marking the 174th time they had sex, Sullivan wrote: "got to reach 200".

Sullivan, who is unemployed, first seduced the boy when he was drunk at a late New Year’s party she had thrown at her home in Middlesbrough.

She went on to conduct a ten month affair with the boy who came to be dubbed "man balls" by school friends. It came to an end when rumours circulated at the boy’s school about Sullivan being pregnant.

Judge John Walford described the case as "shocking" as he sent her to prison. He condemned Sullivan for the psychological effect her behaviour will have not only on the victim but also her own son, also aged 12.

He told her: "You took advantage of this boy’s age. While I accept from the papers you did not ply him with drink, the fact of the matter is that to allow a 12 year old boy to drink, such that he did become intoxicated, is in my judgment shameful".

Richard Bennett, for the prosecution, said that abuse started on the night of the party in January last year.

He said: "Alcohol, including spirits, was available and it seems the young children at the party were freely able to consume it.

"During the course of the party the defendant said to the boy, ’Are you daring? Are you a devil? Are you game?’ She tried to kiss the boy but he pulled away."

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, later told police he had consumed ten bottles of the vodka-based drink WKD and was really drunk.

"The defendant took the intoxicated boy up to bed," Mr Bennett said. "There is no doubt that at the time she knew he was only 12 years of age when she placed him on her own son’s bed."

Sullivan undressed him and had sexual intercourse with him, the court heard.

The next day the boy, described as a "young-looking 12-year-old", had a heavy hangover and Sullivan told him: "I had sex with you and if anyone finds out it is classed as rape".

Mr Bennett said: "Each time the defendant had sexual intercourse with the boy she would place a star in her diary against the relevant date. It is clear from the entries in her diary that the defendant believed she was in a relationship with the boy."

The court heard how Sullivan "groomed" her victim by buying him gifts to keep him happy.

She would send her own son to stay with his grandparents so she and the victim had the house to themselves.

Mr Bennett said: "The defendant’s 12-year-old son had seen the defendant having sex with the boy.

"He had seen this in the house when the defendant was not aware he was there. He had also seen this on video footage recorded by the defendant on her mobile phone."

Sullivan was said to have been so indiscreet about the affair she sent text and MSN messages to friends about what she was doing. At school the boy acquired the nickname ’man balls’ because of his apparent virility.

Sullivan had initially denied to police about having sex with the boy and had tried to explain away some of her diary entries, such as "Angela loves (the boy’s name)", as innocent scribblings.

She admitted ten specimen charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one for each month of the affair.

Andrew Turton, for the defence, said: "What Angela Sullivan did was wrong.

"It is quite clear that she did participate in a relationship with him and that the complainant was a willing participant in what went on." Sullivan, who has no previous convictions, was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

After the hearing Acting Detective Inspector John Wrintmore, of Cleveland Police, said: "Angela Sullivan has clearly preyed on, and taken complete advantage of a vulnerable young boy.

"Sexual offences of any type, particularly where children are the victims, are treated extremely seriously by the police and courts and this sentence clearly demonstrates the consequences of such actions.

"Finally, I wish to commend the courage and strength of character shown by the young victim in this case as it would not have been an easy task to talk quite openly about what had happened".

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article7042571.ece

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/8538638.stm

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2870045/Mum-jailed-for-sex-with-boy-12.html

Teesside woman child sex abuser's appeal rejected

Thursday, 24 June 2010

A Teesside woman who had sex with a 12-year-old boy has been told she deserved every day of her nine-year jail term.



Angela Sullivan, 36, of Cavendish Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed in February after admitting inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sullivan, who gave her victim trainers as a present when he slept with her for the 100th time, was appealing against her sentence.

But a judge at London's Court of Appeal threw out the legal challenge.

The original hearing at Teesside Crown Court heard how police found Sullivan's diary marked with stars against 191 dates when she had had sex with her victim.

During Thursday's appeal hearing, Lord Justice Moses told the court Sullivan first had sex with the boy at a New Year's Eve party when he was "probably so drunk he was unaware" of what was going on.

He said she should not be treated any differently because she was a woman committing the offences against a young boy.

He said: "At first blush, there is a danger that people hearing about this case might regard it as being different had the assailant been a man and the victim a girl.

"But the statute recognises no such difference. There is no basis for thinking the effect of these offences on that young boy are any different from the effect which would be suffered by a young girl."

Sullivan's barrister, Andrew Turton, said she had been punished too harshly and not given enough credit for her guilty plea.

But Lord Justice Moses said: "We take the view, having regard particularly to the sustained period of abuse, that the sentence was not manifestly excessive."

There is no basis for thinking the effect of these offences on that young boy are any different from the effect suffered by a young girl

Lord Justice Moses Court of Appeal

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/10407580.stm

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8240210.Woman_who_had_sex_with_boy_200_times__must_serve_every_day_of_sentence_/