AN AMERICAN man who flew to Wales to meet a 15-year-old girl he had groomed online has been jailed for more than seven years.
Jacob Ewing, aged 44, from Wildcat Pound Road, Hubert, North Carolina, was arrested by police on arrival at Cardiff Airport. He had travelled with wedding rings, a knife, and a wooden cosh.
Newport Crown Court heard Ewing had manipulated the girl over the course of a year, convincing her that he was a Christian and a so-called “paedophile hunter” to gain her trust.
He went on to force her to perform degrading acts on herself over webcam and made her watch him perform sex acts on himself on more than 20 occasions. He told her he intended to marry her once she turned sixteen and start a family.
Judge Celia Hughes, sentencing, said: “He began to control her, being alternately kind and then unpleasant. He told her not to sleep covered up, even when she was cold, and at one point she saw he had tattooed her initials on his chest.”
The girl’s parents were unaware of the abuse and believed she was chatting to someone her own age who lived locally.
In a victim impact statement read out in court by prosecutor Ieuan Bennett, the girl said her mental health had suffered significantly and she now struggles to sleep unless she is on a webcam, as Ewing trained her to be.
“He used it like a game,” she said. “He controlled what I wore, and even now I find myself thinking about how he would react to my clothes.”
Ewing admitted six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, and three counts of possessing indecent images of a child. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article and an offensive weapon in a public place.
Judge Hughes told him: “You have portrayed yourself as the victim and failed to take responsibility for your actions. It is very fortunate that you were stopped at the airport.”
Ewing was sentenced to seven years and eight months in custody. The court heard he may be deported during or after serving his sentence, though this decision will be made by the Home Office.
Detective Superintendent Philip O’Connell of Gwent Police said: “Ewing had been grooming and exploiting his victim for over a year before travelling thousands of miles to meet her. Thanks to joint efforts with US authorities and the UK Border Force, he was arrested before he could cause any physical harm.
“His actions, driven by sexual gratification and control, will have a profound and long-lasting impact on the victim. We welcome the sentence and encourage anyone who may be a victim of grooming or exploitation to come forward.”
