A SEX offender who had sex with a 15-year-old girl on several occasions has been jailed

Prosecuting, Byron Broadstock said Stacey Hinnem, 38, had previously pleaded guilty to four charges of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15.

He said Hinnem, of Pen-Y-Pound, in Abergavenny, would drive the girl, who can not be named for legal reasons, to a secluded lane in Pontypool.

Mr Broadstock said the girl agreed to have sex with him because “she was worried about the consequences of saying no”.

“She described meeting him six or seven times and going to the same lane,” Mr Broadstock continued. “She says they had sex five times between March and May 2017, when she turned 16.”

Mr Broadstock said that, at the beginning of June, the girl told Hinnem she wanted to stop having sex and that she told her mother after Hinnem threatened to kill himself.

He said police were informed at this point and Hinnem was arrested.

Mr Broadstock added: “In interview, he agreed there was sexual activity, but said it had not happened until she turned 16.”

Hinnem said in the interview that, prior to her turning 16, they had done nothing else apart “from kissing and cuddles”, Mr Broadstock said.

Defending, Michael Hammett said that Hinnem has no previous convictions of this nature and that his last offence was 15 years ago, in 2002.

He said the offences were committed at a time Hinnem was having psychiatric problems.

“His first attempt of suicide took place at the age of 19,” he added. “His psychiatric condition got worse two years previous to the offence.”

Sentencing him, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said, having seen the victim personal statement, the girl now suffers from anxiety and depression.

She said: “In July, she was feeling suicidal and she was referred to a local hospital.

“This happened just before she had her GCSEs, which she failed. She has lost contact with her friends.

“Her mother says her behaviour has deteriorated over the last few months. She feels like she has done something wrong.”

She sentenced him to five years and three months in prison for each charge, to run concurrently. Hinnem will be on the sexual offenders’ register indefinitely.