I received a great deal of backlash for criticizing the motives and actions of Jeremy Forrest. In part the criticisms were founded, as he deserves to have a fair trial and the opportunity to defend himself. What may not have been founded were those that argued they were in love and that she was of legal age. The first argument is irrelevant and the second seems false as the latest revelations reveal that she may have been only 14 when Mr. Forrest first kissed her:
A schoolgirl who was allegedly abducted and taken to France by her teacher when police found out about their relationship has told how they first kissed in a classroom.
The girl was 14 at the time of the clinch with married 30-year-old Jeremy Forrest, which took place after they had been tweeting and texting regularly, a court heard.
In the days leading up to the kiss, the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she attended Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne, East Sussex, early specifically to see him.
In a videoed police interview played at Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex today, the girl, now 16, said: ‘I do remember being in his room and it was just me and him. He said “I really want to kiss you” and I said “I really want to”.
‘It got to the point where there was only so much of a friendship you could have before it developed into something else.’ She went on: ‘It ended up being in his classroom.’
As the relationship turned sexual two months later after she had turned 15, the girl said Forrest knew what the consequences would be for him – and that he could face prison.
She said in the interview, dated October 3 last year: ‘He told me that he didn’t want to take advantage of me, and I just didn’t have a problem with it any way.
‘It was what I wanted to do because of how much I liked him. I didn’t give it a second thought. Obviously I was worried about it and I spoke to my friends about it.’
She added: ‘He knew he would go to prison, lose his job and not work with children again, so he was aware and that made me feel better.
‘There was no naivety about it and it was what I wanted, and I probably encouraged it. We would bring it up and I would say ‘Yeah, I really want to’.’
The court has heard that police were alerted to their relationship following a tip-off.
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