A girl who was filmed being sexually abused by a man twice her age had her life torn apart when the video was shared publicly.
Marcus Ellison was jailed yesterday after impersonating a 16-year-old boy on Snapchat and luring a 13-year-old to a park. The then 30-year-old then filmed them having sex in bushes in Birkenhead Park in a video that he later shared with one of her school friends and which went viral online.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday how the girl was initially left shocked by the sharing of the video and then began to feel shame at people having seen it. Summarising a statement from the victim, Neil Bisarya, prosecuting, said: “She experienced anxiety at school because of people saying things to her, calling her a ‘slag’ having seen the video.
READ MORE: Paedophile filmed himself abusing schoolgirl in Birkenhead Park
“She even had one from Yorkshire contacting her who had seen it. She was not able to trust people in the same way and has lost friends.”
He said the incident had long lasting effects on the girl and she was still suffering the consequences of it. Mr Bisarya said: “Her school work has suffered and she has left school to avoid this and now does home schooling. She has felt very distraught as a result of what happened. She said ‘after all this came out it really, really took a toll on me’.”
The judge, Recorder Ian Unsworth QC, labelled Ellison a “predatory paedophile” and said he had used deceit to lure her and then sexually abuse her. He also criticised the people “who had the audacity to call her a slag” after the video of her being abused was shared.
Recorder Unsworth said the video recorded and shared by Ellison “permanent record of the abuse she suffered” at his hands and jailed the 31 year old for nine years.
Anyone with information or wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers. Or you can pass information to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Support for victims is also available through the registered charity the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063 or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801. In an emergency, always call 999.
Anyone concerned about their own behaviour, or that of a family member, can contact stopitnow.org.uk and get-help.stopitnow.org.uk
