Former PCSO jailed after affair which left girl aged 15 pregnant

Christopher Whiteoak met the 15-year-old through a church and was considered by her family as an older brother figure for her.

But in May last year her mother realised something might be going on between them when she saw a text message from Whiteoak to her daughter.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday it read: “Love and miss you loads, can’t wait to see you when you get back.”

The mother told him to break off contact with the family and he pretended to do so but carried on seeing the girl in secret.

Mr Sharp said it was clear she was a willing party but as a vulnerable child “it behoved an adult not to respond to her advances.”

“Nevertheless he allowed an affair between the two of them to begin and continue, despite warnings from a number of people.”

They started having sex just before her 15th birthday and kept the relationship secret.

Towards the end of last year her mother found a document in which the girl had detailed her feelings for Whiteoak, then 25, and arranged for it to be shown to his supervisor, an inspector at Eccleshill, Bradford.

He spoke to Whiteoak on January 4 but the officer lied to him, denying any recent contact with the girl or any sexual relationship. He was advised to report any contact from her.

Mr Sharp told the court in spite of that Whiteoak continued and deepened the relationship.

The girl decided she wanted a baby and nagged him into having sex without protection.

She became pregnant and at first told her mother it was the result of a one-night stand but later admitted the father was Whiteoak, saying: “I love him, he loves me, age is just a number.”

Her mother reported the matter to the police.

When Whiteoak was arrested he initially made no comment when asked about a sexual relationship but when he was told she had admitted it he accepted the relationship.

He said he had agreed to unprotected sex saying the girl was “really mature for her age. I think she is so grown up and I thought she would be a good mum.”

Mr Sharp said Whiteoak was bailed with a condition not to contact the girl but they were found in his car together on July 19.

The rendezvous was arranged after the girl rang him complaining her mother was being “a cow”.

Whiteoak, 26, of Pasture Lane, Clayton, Bradford, admitted three sample charges of sexual activity with a child.

Andrew Walker, representing Whiteoak, urged the court to take an exceptional course in his case.

Although considered polite and respectful at work, Whiteoak had also been seen as somewhat naive and immature for his age and he considered the relationship arose from genuine affection.

He had been dismissed from his position as a PCSO and had recently been working in financial industry in telephone sales. His family were supporting him.

Jailing Whiteoak for two years, Judge Roger Ibbotson told him custody was inevitable.

“I bear in mind such a sentence will be difficult for you having regard to the nature of the offences and your previous occupation,” he added. “An aggravating feature of your case is that there was a degree of persistence. You pursued this relationship despite being warned off and despite knowing the victim was vulnerable.”

He ordered Whiteoak to register as a sex offender for 10 years and under a sexual offences prevention order barred him for five years from unsupervised contact with any female under 16 or employment with access to children.