A woman has been accused of posing as a man to sexually assault a teenage girl.
Georgia Bilham told a court "it just took over my life" and it was a "stupid mistake." The 21-year-old is charged with 17 sexual offences after allegedly deceiving a 19-year-old woman by pretending to be a man.
A trial at Chester Crown Court heard that she used the persona George Parry to speak to the teen over social media. When they met in person, Bilham allegedly wore a hood to meet the short-sighted victim, claiming to be "paranoid" because of an involvement with Albanian gang members.
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Bilham's true identity was discovered in August 2021, a jury heard. In a message read to the court, Bilham text the victim: "I never meant for it to get this far. I'm so sorry for all of it. It was never me and it shouldn't have happened."
A jury heard she told her alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, she wanted to end it but "didn't know how." She added: "I didn't even dress like a lad, it just took over my life. It was a stupid, stupid, stupid mistake that shouldn't have happened."
The teenager's mother asked her daughter if she was in a new relationship, after noticing she had a new "spark in her eye". She said her daughter seemed "really happy" in the relationship.
Her mum told the court that she asked if they were doing sexual things and she told her yes. She said: "I said 'with his hood up?' And she said 'yeah' and I thought 'bit strange'."
The complainant first started to get doubts about "George's" true identity when she overheard Bilham give her details to police, after a car crash. The pair had been in a crash when Bilham's car collided with a hedge in the early hours of May 11.
Police constable Dave Fallows told the court the woman, in the passenger seat of Bilham's car when it collided with a hedge in the early hours of May 11, said she "felt sick" after she discovered the person she was with was female.
He said: "She believed that it was a male she'd been talking to over the internet and that they weren't going to have any further contact."
But, the court was told Bilham claimed she had been using a fake licence so the complainant continued to see her. She sent a screenshot of messages with someone she said was part of an Albanian gang and claimed she had been collected from the scene by one of the Albanians, although the court heard Bilham was picked up by her father.
The complainant's mother said "George" had stayed at their house on four occasions but she only met him once, although she knew he had stayed because the toilet seat had been left up.
Giving evidence on Wednesday, she said she had a "really awful feeling" about the relationship and that things didn't add up. Bits of information that made her wary included "George" using an emoji to cover his face on photos posted on Snapchat, a bracelet which was always in his car and a bank card in Bilham's name which her daughter had found.
Giving evidence on Wednesday, she said: "I was just like 'oh my God, oh my God, it's a girl, George is Georgia' and I felt completely sick." Bilham, of Bunbury Road, Alpraham, Cheshire, denies nine sexual assaults and eight counts of assault by penetration. The trial continues.
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