A care worker in England is accused of inciting a teenager to engage in sexual activity and encouraging him to go missing so they could have a trip away together. Lindy Leah, 44, denies the charges and claims her actions were misguided attempts to protect the teenager, but evidence presented in court suggests a troubling relationship marked by inappropriate behaviour and excessive affection.
A care worker encouraged a boy at the children's home where she worked to go missing so that she could book them a trip away - 'somewhere with balloons and flake', a jury have heard. Lindy Leah went on trial on Monday accused of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The 44-year-old is accused of engaging in the 'highly inappropriate behaviour' with the teenager at the care home in St Helens where she was employed as deputy manager.
Jurors were also told that other co-workers were 'greatly concerned' by her 'frequently' wearing 'completely unsuitable clothing' - described as 'skin tight and highly revealing'. This included Leah wearing a 'bodysuit without underwear' to work and 'highly visible thongs', a court heard. The married mum-of-two was also said to have 'fallen in love' with the teenager and told him that she would return his mobile phone to him in exchange for 'a love bite'. Leah, of Capesthorne Road in Orford, Warrington, denies one count of being a person in a position of trust causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in the Liverpool Crown Court trial. Simon Christie, prosecuting, told the jury: 'This case concerns what the Crown say is a serious and persistent breach of trust. Lindy Leah, by her own admission, fell in love with him. But the Crown say that this went beyond the sort of parental love that offers care and support, and it became something more physical and inappropriate. 'The complainant in this case will not be giving evidence to you in this case. He does not support the prosecution. So what we have are the observations of some of those adults who witnessed Lindy Leah interact with and who will say that her behaviour was often highly inappropriate. 'In addition, we have the downloads of many messages between the two of them, principally from WhatsApp, that paint a picture of a relationship far removed from key worker and child. There are many expressions of love in the WhatsApp messages.' Leah, reports The Echo , was also said to have video footage of the teenager while he was 'asleep or in bed' stored on her mobile phone. Mr Christie continued: 'Whether you find, cumulatively, that what was going on was sexual is a matter for you. The defendant will accept she was in a position of trust, but will say that she did try to act more as a friend or contemporary towards and will say that she, on occasion, acted in a non-professional way, but that this was all in a misguided attempt to protect him.' Concerns over Leah's behaviour led to her being spoken to by the police in June last year, at which stage she 'denied any improper behaviour', the jury heard. But, having been released on bail under the condition that she cease contact with the boy, a colleague then saw her with him in an Audi car at Walton Hall Park the following month. One member of staff recalled her telling the teen 'I've had a shower but I forgot to bring clean knickers' on one occasion. She was then said to have 'pulled up her bodysuit' in a revealing manner before stating: 'Oh, you can see my nipples.' A fellow manager also reported that, after raising concerns over seeing the boy 'lying in Lindy Leah's bed at the home', she replied: 'He's comfortable. He always does that and no one else has a problem with it.' The teen's mum was meanwhile said to have been 'initially impressed with the care her son was getting' at the home, but 'grew more concerned as time went on'. When she approached Leah, she replied that he 'had her wrapped around his little finger' and that she 'loved him like one of her own' and 'thought he was gorgeous and handsome'. Mr Christie added: 'She has never admitted that any sexual activity took place with . It is for you to determine whether that is correct or not.' Members of the jury were then read a string of WhatsApp messages sent between the two parties over the course of around two months. During one exchange, Leah told the boy that she was 'proper paranoid' that she had 'lost you'. When the teen, whose number she had stored in her contacts as 'Pain in My A**e', was reassured that she had not, she responded 'I hope with all my heart that's true' before adding 'I hope I've not lost you to a sl*g'. Her texts, which were apparently sent when she was 'in the pub and drunk again', continued: 'Your lying made me wanna kill myself. I’m not emo either. Where you gone? I’m sorry. If you never met me then your life would be better.' After the boy asked her 'why you ringing me while you're p***ed?', Leah replied: 'To numb the pain of losing you. I miss you so much. All I want is for me and you to have a night away from everything, just us. 'If I wake up from these tablets and wine, 'cos I was in pain, then we will. Love you always though. Do you want to go MFC on 17th?' This abbreviation was said to be a reference to 'missing from care'. Leah then continued: 'I love you so much. Can I book somewhere for you and me on Friday? Somewhere with balloons and flake', the court heard
SEXUAL ABUSE CHILD ABUSE CARE WORKER MISSING PERSONS INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR RELATIONSHIPS
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