ALEXANDRA BROWN FROM DARLINGTON JAILED FOR ILLEGAL RELATIONSHIP WITH 15-YEAR-OLD BOY

In December 2009, a disturbing case emerged involving Alexandra Brown, a 24-year-old woman from Darlington, who was sentenced to two years in prison following her involvement in an inappropriate and illegal relationship with a teenage boy. The incident unfolded in her home located in The Gateway, Darlington, Co Durham, where she engaged in a series of sexual encounters with the minor, who was only 15 years old at the time.

Brown, who claimed to be in a vulnerable state after being left alone to care for her four-year-old son, initiated the affair by sharing a kiss with the teenager in her kitchen. The court heard that the following day, she invited him into her bedroom, explicitly indicating her awareness of the nature of their relationship by saying, “I think you know why.”

During the proceedings at Teesside Crown Court, it was revealed that Brown had become so infatuated with the young boy that she ended her five-year relationship with her partner. The court was informed that Brown admitted to having sexual relations with the minor on between ten and fifteen occasions during the summer months. Initially, the boy told her he was 16 years old, but within a few days, she became aware of his true age, which made their relationship legally and morally unacceptable.

Legal representatives for Brown argued for leniency, emphasizing her status as a single mother and her previously good character. Victoria Lamballe, her defense lawyer, urged the judge, Mr. Justice McCombe, to consider her circumstances compassionately, noting that she was now the sole caregiver for her son. She described the relationship as a “relatively small age gap” and characterized it as a “short-lived consensual relationship.”

However, the judge was firm in his judgment. He stated, “Those matters, it is submitted, will allow me to depart from the guidelines for these very serious series of offences. I regret that I am unable to accede to that submission. It seems to me that the defendant has to receive custody.”

Following the end of the relationship, it is alleged that the teenage boy demanded money from Brown, threatening to report her to the police unless she paid him. He has since been charged with blackmail. As part of her sentence, Brown was also prohibited from working with children and was placed on the sex offenders’ register, reflecting the gravity of her actions and the legal consequences she faced.