Hanged Essex teenager's sex abuser jailed
A sex abuser whose 14-year-old victim hanged herself in her Essex home has been jailed for seven years.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard Georgia Hedges was found hanging at her home in Witham in May. She died two days later.
Bramwell Walls, 39, from east London, was a lodger with her parents when he carried out the abuse between January 2012 and May 2013, the court heard.
Judge David Turner QC said it was hard to think of a worse sexual exploitation case in terms of the consequences.
Walls, of Folkestone Road, Walthamstow, admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity,
Sentencing Walls, Judge Turner told him his victim was "obviously ill-equipped to deal with the distress in her life".
"The victim was clearly obviously vulnerable. Less than 24 hours before, she was speaking in texts and was in extreme turmoil."
Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska told the court: "Georgia had texted Walls the day before her hanging saying 'if you don't talk to me, I'll do something... I'll do something I'll regret."
Chris McCann, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said after the hearing: "It is very unusual for cases of sexual abuse to go ahead without a victim to give their account of what happened but East of England CPS was able to prove that the abuse had taken place through other evidence, including from mobile phones, which was available.
"The abuse took place while Bramwell Walls was a lodger in the home of Georgia's parents, and his betrayal of their trust has had a terrible effect on the family. Our thoughts are with them."