A married female nursery worker who had sex with a 13-year-old boy and gave birth to his child has now been jailed for 30 months.
Leah Cordice, 20, from Windsor, Berkshire, who started sleeping with the boy when she was 17 at that time had initially denied the sexual activity and claimed that the teenager raped her, a false claim which a jury at Reading Crown Court rejected and she was convicted of having sex with her victim on at least five occasions.
At one occasion, she seduced the teenager by pulling down his trousers and asking for sex after a drunken night out in January 2017.
As she continued her sexual relationship with the boy she kept it hidden from her husband. She also sent the teenager complimentary text messages and bought him presents of fish and chips.
Judge Peter Clarke QC, said: ‘Cordice asserted that the truth was that she had been raped by the victim on multiple occasions. I had and have difficulty with that assessment.
‘I heard no indication from either Cordice or the victim that she held him in any particular affection, the evidence from at least one witness was of physical obsession and self-indulgence as opposed to emotional attachment.’
The victim and Cordice both lived in the same area of Windsor and had known each other for many years before the abuse began, prosecutors said.
In a victim impact statement, the boy said he had been diagnosed with separation anxiety by a psychologist, which was a result of him having his child taken away by social services.
The boy told the court: ‘I cannot see my child and have not had any involvement with her recently. Seeing my daughter and then having her taken out of my life was very hard to cope with.
‘It feels like I was punished for what I have been through. I hope in the future I can move on from this and have a relationship with my daughter.
‘Social media has just exploded with comments and posts about Leah. I do not feel anger towards her anymore. If anything, I worry about her. If she does go to prison for what she has done, I hope it is not for a long time. I hope Leah has involvement in her daughter’s life.’
In a separate victim impact statement, the boy’s mother said: ‘He was so young to become a father, but when he started having contact with his daughter it went very well. He has not done anything wrong but she has also been taken away from him.’
During the trial, the court heard the boy’s police interview, where he claimed that the abuse began when Cordice started to hug him and kiss him, before pulling down his trousers and asking for sex.
Defending Cordice today, Tara McCarthy said: ‘This is a desperately sad case all around. There are absolutely no winners. The age gap between the victim and Ms. Cordice is relatively limited.
