Abducted schoolgirl says she groomed teacher
The victim of a pedophile school teacher has spoken out for the first time, saying she's in love with her abductor, and wants to be the mother of his children.
The 16-year-old British girl, who cannot be identified, was abducted by her teacher, 30-year-old Jeremy Forrest, in September last year.
The two lead police on a week-long chase through France, before Forrest was arrested in Calais.
Earlier this month, a jury found Forrest guilty over the episode, sentencing him to more than five years jail.
The prosecution had labelled the mathematics teacher a "pedophile" who had "groomed" the vulnerable teenager.
But the girl said in evidence that she had encouraged the relationship.
"Jeremy Forrest grossly abused the trust placed in him," detective inspector Mark Ling told reporters outside the court.
"It is every parent's worst nightmare to have a child abducted."
But the victim is standing by her story that she was responsible for Mr Forrest's crimes.
"If anything I groomed him,” she told The Sun.
"I want to give my version of events of what happened between me and Jeremy because there are a lot of rumours, a lot of speculation and there are some things I want to put it to rest", she said.
"Jeremy is not a pedophile, if anything it was me who groomed him, he has never been anything but concerned for me," she said.
The teen said the two became close after Mr Forrest comforted her over an eating disorder she was suffering through on an overseas school trip.
The relationship became more involved, with the two exchanging text messages and Mr Forrest regularly picking the student up from school.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and maybe once he's out we can marry and have children together", she told The Sun.
The girl appears to have the backing of her father, who earlier this week told The Daily Mail he wanted to shake Mr Forrest’s hand.
"It would be a dream for her to settle down and marry the man she loves”, he said.
"People get suspended sentences for worse crimes," he said. "Hopefully with good behaviour he may be freed on parole in a few years."
Forrest's sister also revealed the couple's plans to meet in jail.
"She's planning on doing that as soon as she can. Jeremy told me that he'd been told that she wanted to visit," she said.
"In court on the day of his conviction, he said to me, 'Tell her she's allowed to visit,' and when I did she just smiled."
Mr Forrest has been jailed for five-and-a-half years, placed on the sex offenders registry, and been banned from teaching for life.
