Teen demanded sexual favours from girls for cigarettes

A TEENAGER was put behind bars after getting a child to pay him with 'sexual favours' for cigarettes, a court heard.

Aidan Thompson was sent to a young offenders' institution for two years after admitting three counts of sexual activity with three girls aged between 13 and 15.

The 19-year-old – whose address we cannot record for legal reasons – yesterday appeared at Plymouth Crown Court for sentence.

He initially denied the offences but pleaded guilty before he was due to face trial.

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Nick Lewin, prosecution counsel for the Crown, told the court: "He demanded sexual favours for tobacco by text message."

The court heard how when he was 18 years old he invited three girls aged between 13 and 15 to his address.

The court heard how the girls wanted tobacco but he said: 'you know the rules'.

He explained to them he would only give them tobacco if they carried out an indecent act upon him, before trying to get one of the girls to perform this lewd act upon him.

Mr Lewin said: "He abused his position of trust. He was interviewed but he put the blame on the girls rather than on himself."

Jo Martin, acting as defence counsel for Thompson, said he believed the girls were closer to 16 than they were.

She said he was immature and had suffered over the divorce of his parents.

He had been bullied at school after becoming an 'easy target' and ended up being home-tutored by his mother, the court heard.

She said: "He was exploring his own sexual activity and went well over the boundaries."

She said there had been a 'huge amount' of feeling in the community about what he'd done and he'd now realised the consequences of his actions and shown 'significant remorse'.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC said: "You say you agreed this for cigarettes but you were 18 and they were under 16.

"You blamed the girls for what happened.

"You told probation officers it was 'harmless fun' but it was sexual abuse of young girls."

He ordered Thompson to serve 16 months in a young offenders' institute for one of the counts and two years for each other count to run concurrent.

He was put on the sexual offenders register for 10 years and was handed a sexual offences prevention order for 10 years.