A woman who took a 14-year-old boy to a hotel for sex and got him high on cannabis has been jailed for more than two years.

Natalie Williams, of Darlington, was told by a judge yesterday she had preyed upon the teenager and failed to appreciate why what she had done was so wrong.

The 22-year-old used a bank card he had stolen from his family to pay for the overnight hotel stay and drugs, and regularly withdrew money on it.

Teesside Crown Court heard that after she was arrested, she deliberately got pregnant with a new boyfriend – thought to be an attempt to stay out of prison.

But Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, told her that would not dissuade him from locking her up – because a man who preyed on a young girl would face jail.

He said: ‘The law sets out to protect those that are under the age of consent, whether they are boys or girls, from those who would take advantage of their youth.

‘They are not to be preyed upon by those who are older than them, and certainly over the age of consent, and that is why these are very serious offences.’

Williams’ lawyer disputed a psychologist’s report saying her pregnancy was deliberate, but the judge said: ‘She describes it as planned – when she was facing these proceedings.’

He added: ‘That shows not only a level of immaturity, but also irresponsibility… I do not take into account, in any way, that you are pregnant.’

Ben Pegman, mitigating, said: ‘She has been in a relationship for six months and would take issue with the proposition she puts it before the court to avoid custody.

‘The sentencing guidelines greatly alarm her. She is of previous good character. I suspect the court will never see this lady again. My plea is to ask you to suspend any custodial sentence.

‘She now realises he didn’t have sufficient maturity, more than that, that it was unlawful. She simply hasn’t thought it through. It hasn’t gone through her head at the time.

‘Clearly, there is an acceptance from the defendant that her behaviour was wrong. As to how much insight she has got into that, I think, it is a moot point.’

Williams, of Close Street, Darlington, admitted three charges of sexual activity with a child, attempted sexual touching, fraud and handling stolen goods.

Stay: Williams took the boy to the Bannatyne Hotel in Darlington using a bank card taken from his step-mother

She was jailed for a total of two years and four months.

The court heard that the first sexual encounter with the schoolboy – described in court as a vulnerable virgin – was on a garden trampoline in front of a friend.

The relationship came to light when the victim’s stepmother realised there had been a series of unauthorised payments from her bank account and her card was missing.

It emerged that tattooed Williams and the boy had spent the night at the four-star Bannatyne Hotel in Darlington, and spent more than £1,000 on the debit card.

Williams was also put on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and banned for life from working with children and having unsupervised contact with males aged under 18.

Judge Bourne-Arton told her: ‘You knew perfectly well that which you were doing was wrong. I am quite sure it was you who carried out the initiative.

‘There are worrying signs you have failed to completely appreciate what impact what you did has had on him… there are deeply worrying factors in your case.
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