‘Vulnerable’ Boston woman admits two charges of inciting child pornography

A middle-aged woman was so besotted with her younger partner that she sent him child pornography images in a bid to please him, a court was told today.

Deborah Jardine, 45, formed a relationship with Stephen Gough, who was 20 years her junior, after the pair met at a party in Boston.

Lincoln Crown Court was told that the couple, who both have learning disabilities, went on to have a relationship and during that time Jardine sent indecent images of a young girl to Gough via Facebook.

Jardine, formerly of Boston, but now of The Street, Latchingdon, Essex, admitted two charges of causing or inciting child pornography. She was given an 18 month jail sentence suspended for two years with two years supervision.

Ben Isaacs, prosecuting, said that Gough was also involved in an incident in Nottingham with a 13 year old girl when the girl put her hands inside his boxer shorts and touched him.

Gough, 25, of Orston Drive, Wollaton, Nottingham, admitted a charge of sexual activity with a child. He was given a two year community order with two years supervision and was ordered to attend a sex offender help programme.

Judge John Pini QC, passing sentence, said that reports he had seen showed that after leaving school Jardine attended a college for young people with learning difficulties and had depended on support from others throughout her adult life.

He told Jardine “I am quite sure you had no idea how serious these matters were. What lay behind this was your desire to be needed. You were clearly besotted by Stephen Gough and sent these pictures without thinking what you were doing.”

Before Jardine left the dock the judge warned her: “Be under no illusions. If you behave like this in the future you will be in breach of this order and you will go straight to prison.”

Alison Summers, for Jardine, said a psychologist’s report described her client as vulnerable and as having a mental age of 11.

“At the time of these offences her marriage was failing and she liked the attention she was receiving from this young man.

“She has very little insight into her offending. She knows she has done wrong but understanding why is very difficult for her.

“In December and January she allowed herself to be sucked in by the relationship she had with Gough and failed to ensure the appropriate boundaries were there.”

Tony Stanford, for Gough, said that Gough also had learning difficulties.

Mr Stanford said: “The girl touched his genital area for a matter of seconds. It is clear that it was not something he asked her to do.”