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Woman who sold child sex jailed | Woman who sold child sex jailed |
(40 minutes later) | |
A woman who lured girls as young as 12 by getting them hooked on drugs before offering them for sex has been jailed. | |
Fiona Walsh, 33, groomed them with clothes and other gifts before introducing them to Class A drugs. | Fiona Walsh, 33, groomed them with clothes and other gifts before introducing them to Class A drugs. |
Once they were addicted, she began offering them to customers at her home or in the streets, Inner London Crown Court was told. | Once they were addicted, she began offering them to customers at her home or in the streets, Inner London Crown Court was told. |
Walsh, from Kilburn, west London, pleaded guilty to four counts of child prostitution and supplying drugs. | Walsh, from Kilburn, west London, pleaded guilty to four counts of child prostitution and supplying drugs. |
She befriended the girls having met them while out shopping or through mutual acquaintances, the court heard. | She befriended the girls having met them while out shopping or through mutual acquaintances, the court heard. |
Cynical and cold-blooded | |
Five victims told police how Walsh had ruined their lives, although the case against her focused on offences against two girls, aged 12 and 15. | |
Joanna Korner QC, prosecuting, said the two victims were vulnerable as they were from "dysfunctional, single parent family backgrounds". | |
"She cynically and cold-bloodedly befriended them in order to use them for her own purposes," she said. | |
"She exercised control over them through the belief she was their friend and by supplying drugs." | |
Prison dealing | |
She told the court the 12-year-old had tried hard but failed to give up prostitution and faced a "very uncertain future". | |
Walsh, who has a string of convictions for prostitution, initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea minutes before the trial was due to begin. | |
She admitted one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and supplying her with crack cocaine. | She admitted one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and supplying her with crack cocaine. |
She also admitted attempting to procure a second youngster, aged 15, to have unlawful sexual intercourse and supplying her with hard drugs. | She also admitted attempting to procure a second youngster, aged 15, to have unlawful sexual intercourse and supplying her with hard drugs. |
She pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply class A substances while on remand in Holloway Prison. | She pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply class A substances while on remand in Holloway Prison. |
Thirteen other charges were not proceeded with and "left on the file". | Thirteen other charges were not proceeded with and "left on the file". |
Judge Roger Chapple banned her from working with children for life and imposed a life-long Sexual Offences Prevention Order, regulating her access to young people. |