GRAN OF CHILD RAPED AT SOUTHAMPTON HOTEL GIVES STATEMENT IN COURT
The grandmother of a 12-year-old girl who was raped by a man in a Southampton hotel says it is "despicable" that he thought she was 19.Mark Greenway, 31, claimed he thought the 12-year-old girl was 19 when they met to have sex at his hotel room at Novotel in Southampton in August last year.
He appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday, where he was sentenced to four years in prison, with one year on licence.
The victim's grandmother read a tearful impact statement to the court about the effect the incident has had on the victim.
She said: "Since the incident occurred, she has experienced emotional and psychological distress.
She has been self-harming.
"Her emotional well-being has been significantly impacted.
She hates her body.
"Her self-worth, her self-esteem, has been severely damaged.
"It has been heartbreaking to see her go through this ordeal.
"I have always been a happy person, but this incident has taken something from me that I can't get back.
I was made to be her protector, and I feel I have failed.
That he thought she was older is despicable.
Anyone talking to her would know she is a child.".
Robert Bryan, prosecuting, told the court that Greenway had first met the girl early one morning on TikTok when he received a friend request from her at 4.02am.
The conversation led them to agree to meet at Greenway's hotel room, where he was staying while doing road resurfacing work.
Greenway then arranged for a taxi to pick the victim up, telling the driver that she was his cousin.
However, when she was in the taxi, Greenway messaged to say "WTF, you are not 19".
She arrived and met him outside the hotel at 7.08am.
Greenway gave the victim a key card to his room, heading up alone, having instructed her to sneak up shortly afterwards.
She was in his room for more than two hours and was seen leaving the hotel at 9.21am.
Shortly before 9.30am she went to the police station, which is directly across the road from the hotel and told officers what happened.
Police arrested Greenway at the hotel at 10am.
Greenway, of Spon Lane, Atherstone in Warwickshire, was sentenced to four years in prison, with one year on licence.
His phone is to be forfeited and destroyed, and he must sign the sex offenders' register for life.
