FAVERSHAM WOMAN LEAH DANE JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF YOUNG GIRL
A woman who sexually abused a young girl after persuading her they were in a relationship has been jailed for more than four years.Leah Dane, 44, carried out sexual acts with her victim over a period of months and encouraged the teenager to delete messages in an attempt to conceal her offending.
But after teachers were alerted, Dane was arrested and charged with engaging in penetrative sexual activity with an underage girl.
She initially denied any wrongdoing but, after a trial was delayed in August, pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court in September.
She returned to the same court on December 19 to be sentenced.
Prosecutor Paul Valder told the court that messages exchanged between Dane and her victim showed the young girl believed they were in a relationship.
He added Dane, from Faversham, instructed the teenager to delete the incriminating texts.
In a victim impact statement, the girl described the devastating effect of the abuse, telling the court it had left her suicidal.
"At the time, I did not understand what was happening, but the abuse has followed me into every part of my life," she said.
"I don't know how to get over what happened to me.
I struggle to sleep." The victim went on to say she wanted the court to "understand the full extent of the harm done" to her, and said that justice being served would give her some sense of relief.
Dane’s lawyer, John FitzGerald, told the court that should she be jailed, the risk to her well-being and life would be "very real indeed" due to her fragile mental health and history of alcohol and drug abuse.
He added she had made a previous attempt on her life and had lost a friend and a brother to suicide, even witnessing the harrowing aftermath of her sibling’s death.
"The court will be familiar with people with these problems, but it's 20 years of it - how ingrained it is," he added.
Mr FitzGerald asked that Dane be subjected to addiction rehabilitation and unpaid work rather than an immediate prison term, saying the punishment would be "no picnic".
But Judge Simon Taylor KC rejected the plea and instead jailed Dane for four years and nine months.
He also imposed a sexual harm prevention order and a 10-year restraining order banning contact with the victim.
"The impact of your behaviour is the most severe kind," he told Dane.
"This was not a one-off or an impulsive piece of behaviour led by mental illness.
You had enough insight into what you were doing to tell your child victim to delete messages.
"You understood the nature of the offences.
There would have been periods of sobriety where you would have been sober and able to reflect on your behaviour." The judge said he recognized Dane’s guilty plea as “significant” mitigation, as well as her remorse, but added: “You knew what you were doing was wrong.” Dane stayed silent but looked at supporters in the public gallery as she was led to the dock.
She will have to serve two-thirds of her sentence in custody before she is eligible for parole, and will be subject to notification requirements for 10 years.
