Father defends babysitter who abused his 11-year-old son saying the boy was “sex mad” anyway.

The babysitter was spared jail time.

Warning: This post deals with sexual abuse and may be upsetting for some readers.

A father has defended a babysitter who sexually abused his 11-year old son saying his son saw it as “a notch on his belt.”

The comments, made in a statement to a judge have shocked child protection advocates.

The babysitter, 20-year old Jade Hatt was found guilty and jailed for six months for the abuse of the young boy, but her sentence was suspended for two years and she will not serve any jail time.

Hatt from Swindon, Wiltshire, in the UK was babysitting the boy last November when he was home from school sick.

Prosecutor Hannah Squire said “The defendant was friends with the boy’s father, with whom she had had a brief sexual relationship.”

“He would ask her to babysit; she had babysat his 11-year-old son on six or seven occasions. On one of those occasions this offence took place.”

In describing the rape of the young boy the Prosecutor said it was around 11.30am when the defendant “sat on top of the boy who was lying down.”

“Jade Hatt sat on top of him, sat astride him, took off her clothes and removed his.”  Hannah Squire told the court.

“In his words she started bouncing on his private parts. Sexual intercourse took place. According to him it was fairly brief: about 45 seconds. She told him she enjoyed it, he said he had not as it was wrong.”

The boy’s father then noticed he had a “love bite on his neck” and found text messages from Ms Hatt revealing what had taken place.

When the police became involved Ms Hatt told police the 11-year old had, in fact told her he was 15.

The court later heard that she did know his age as she had babysat him before.

Her lawyer, Rob Ross said his client was a “small, immature, woman” and the victim was “very advanced” for his years.

Backing her up in a statement the boy’s father said

“I know he told her he was 15. He looks older than his years.”

“He is sex mad. He would have been fully up for this experience and in many ways sees it as a notch on his belt and is totally unaffected by it.”

Mr Ross said “One has to say that is a father that knows his son well.”

The Judge said it was an exceptional case allowing him to step outside the “rigours of the sentencing guidelines.”

“Having read everything before me, it was quite clear he was a mature 11-year-old and you were an immature 20-year-old“ he told Hatt.

“So that narrows the arithmetic age gap between you.

“I have read the comments of the boy’s father to the police where he doesn’t consider you a typical 20-year-old. I have also read what he has said about the effect on the victim.”

Judge Mousley imposed a six-month jail term suspended for two years with supervision and said she must register as a sex offender for seven years. He also imposed a sexual harm prevention order banning her from having unsupervised contact with young boys for two years.

The National Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse said that the judge’s comments “beggars belief”.

“The judge’s comments in this case send out completely the wrong message and confirm a common view in society that the abuse of a young boy by a woman is somehow less serious than the abuse of a girl by a man.”

“The offender in this case has escaped extremely lightly and you have to wonder whether, in the same circumstances, a man would have been treated the same’.

“It beggars belief that Tim Mousley QC could say that the 11 year old victim’s maturity and the abuser’s immaturity “narrowed the age gap” and was reason to step outside the sentencing guidelines, and sends a deeply worrying signal.”

The spokesman said, “The victim’s voice appears to have been ignored.”

Despite the boy’s father saying his son was ‘fully up for the experience’ the boy himself said he had not enjoyed it and knew it was wrong the NSPCC spokesman added.

“The effects of sexual abuse can be long lasting and it’s essential that this boy is offered the necessary support.”

If you need help involving sexual abuse call Kid’s Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or the DV and Sexual Abuse hotline 27/4: 1800 737 732