March 2016 Man jailed for child sex abuse after underage girl killed herself A man whose underage girlfriend jumped to her death after they had argument has been jailed for four years for child sex abuse. Marcus Webb, from Fordingbridge, was found to have indecent photographs of the girl on his mobile phone after police started investigating him following her tragic suicide. Bournemouth Crown Court heard Webb was aged 17 and the girl was 13 when they began an illicit relationship in 2011. The schoolgirl fell pregnant a year later and had an abortion which had a detrimental effect on her state of mind. Webb, now aged 21, would not let her forget about the abortion and even sent her a Mother’s Day card afterwards. Although the girl’s mother Canasta had warned him off and Webb had received a police caution for having sexual activity with a child, the pair carried on seeing each other. In September 2014 the couple had a row, prompting the troubled teenager to kill herself at a 100ft monument at Rockbourne, near Fordingbridge. It was then police uncovered indecent images of her on Webb’s phone. Webb pleaded guilty to charges of inciting sexual activity with a child, two counts of causing a child to take part in sexual activity and one of possessing indecent images of a child. A court heard that between March 2013 to September 2014 the pair had numerous Skype conversations in which he groomed her into performing lewd acts online. In July 2014, the girl also sent him an indecent image of herself via Facebook. Judge Brian Forster QC told him: “Ashli was about four-and-a-half years younger than you. “On September 24, 2014 Ashli took her own life, she was 15 at the time. “There are no words available to describe the impact (of her death) on her family. “Although you were described as being immature these offences happened after you had a caution for having sexual activity with a girl aged 13 and when you were warned off by her mother. “I accept you were both involved in a relationship and I accept you were distraught and very upset by her death. “However, you exploited the girl and forced her to carry out what are degrading sexual acts. “The court has a clear duty to protect young people and in this case you engaged in repeated behaviour over a significant period.” Simon Jones, prosecuting, told the court that the impact of the abortion led to Ashli’s suicide. Mr Jones said: “The mother was not happy with the relationship because of the age gap. She allowed him to come to the house but he was not allowed in her bedroom. “The mother said to him ‘you should not be sleeping with my daughter because of her age’. “The defendant told her he wasn’t sleeping with her but a few days later her mother found out she was pregnant and kicked him out.