An American paedophile who flew to Wales in a bid to marry a schoolgirl he had groomed for several months and forced to perform degrading acts has been jailed.
Jacob Ewing, 44, met the girl, then aged 15, on an online video chat site which connects users randomly, and told her he was a “paedophile hunter” and a Christian. He convinced her to let him watch her fall asleep while they were on a livestream, and in the morning told her he had performed a sex act on himself as she slept. She later told the police she had been disturbed by this but kept in contact with Ewing who over the following months began to control her life.
He later flew to Cardiff Airport with two wedding rings to be with the girl, but was arrested by waiting police who had been tipped off by US cops. He had with him a number of paedophilic images in his possession, including one of a baby being raped and was also carrying a knife and a wooden cosh. Earlier today Judge Celia Hughes jailed Ewing for seven years and eight months at Newport Crown Court.
Ieuan Bennett, speaking for the prosecution, read out a personal statement on behalf of the girl to the court. She said: “Even when I first started speaking to him, things were odd in the sense he wanted me to sleep on webcam. Over the period we were speaking, this became a daily occurrence, which caused me significant stress.
“I struggle to cope with the stress Jacob put me under. This resulted in a deterioration of my mental health. I regularly felt suicidal due to the way he was treating me.
“Jacob didn’t care about this and encouraged me to kill myself on a number of occasions. This confused me – I couldn’t understand why he would tell me he loved me and tell me to hurt myself.”
Ewing previously pleaded guilty to 13 offences, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The court heard he may be deported during his sentence but that was a matter for the Home Office.
Judge Hughes said: “He began to control her, being alternately kind and then unpleasant to her, including saying she shouldn’t sleep covered up at night, even when she was cold. At one point she saw that the defendant had her initials tattooed on his chest.
“She felt overwhelmed. Unfortunately she did not speak to her parents about this. The defendant said he would come to the UK as she was soon to be 16, so they could get married and have children. We know he brought rings with him when he came to the airport.”
“You have portrayed yourself as the victim and haven’t taken responsibility for your actions. It is very fortunate you were stopped at the airport.”
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Philip O’Connell, of Gwent Police, said: “Ewing struck up a relationship with a 15-year-old girl online, grooming and exploiting her for over a year before travelling thousands of miles to meet her. Working closely with US authorities and UK Border Force, he was detained at Cardiff Airport before being arrested and interviewed by our officers.
“The collaboration between agencies meant Ewing was intercepted before he was able to cause any physical harm to the victim. However, his actions, driven by his sexual gratification and the fear he imposed on his victim, will have a profound impact.
“We’d like to commend the victim in this case, who’s shown strength and great fortitude throughout the investigation and hope that today’s sentence helps in processing and moving forward with her life.”
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