CHRISTOPHER WILSON, FORMER ROYAL NAVY SAILOR, JAILED IN DEVON FOR CONTACT AND SEX WITH 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL

In August 2014, Christopher Wilson, a heritage railway worker from Kings Road, Paignton, was sentenced to jail for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl he had initially contacted outside a supermarket and later wooed through Facebook messages.

Wilson, aged 27 at the time, met the teenager in 2010 when he was 24. The court was told that he kept in touch with her via Facebook, which included her accurate date of birth. He admitted to having sex with her on one occasion at her home in South Devon, when her mother was out, after arranging the visit online.

Wilson had previously served in the Royal Navy but was forced to leave due to illness, and he later worked as a forklift truck driver. His relationship with his long-term partner, who was eight months pregnant at the time, ended after her discovery of Facebook messages indicating Wilson had been seeing the girl.

He was convicted of sexual activity with a child and given an eight-month prison sentence by Judge Erik Salomonsen, who stated, "You met the victim outside a supermarket and spoke with her again on Facebook and went on to have consensual intercourse. You knew exactly what you were doing. You were a man of good character but I must have regard to the disparity in ages. She was vulnerable and you knew her age."

Prosecutor Mr. Richard Crabb explained that Wilson’s contact with the girl began in 2010 when she was 15 and he was 24, although she did not disclose the offence for more than two years. The initial meeting was outside a supermarket, where Wilson complimented her and exchanged Facebook details, leading to their messaging.

Wilson’s defense lawyer, Mr. David Evans, noted that Wilson had already suffered significantly: his relationship with his partner had ended, he was barred from seeing his three-year-old son, and he had lost his job at Dart Valley Railway. Evans added that Wilson had previously served in the Royal Navy but had to leave due to illness.

A related case from June 2014 revealed that Wilson had admitted to having sex with the same girl, who was then 15, at her flat in South Devon. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of sexual activity with a child after the more serious charge of rape was dropped. The court was told that the sexual encounter was consensual and took place around three to four years earlier.

Judge Salomonsen adjourned Wilson’s case for pre-sentence reports, highlighting the concerns about how Wilson knew the girl’s address and the nature of their contact via Facebook.