Woman jailed for dressing as boy to date girls

Gemma Barker, who was 19 at the time, gave herself false male identities so she could have sexual encounters with her 15 and 16-year-old victims.

Barker, now 20, of Staines, Middlesex, was told by Judge Peter Moss at Guildford Crown Court that she would be in custody for the first half of the term and serve the remainder on licence.

He said: “I have concluded that these offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”

The court heard that Barker introduced herself to the girls by using fake Facebook profiles and wore hats and baggy clothes to hide her true identity when she met them in person.

But one of the girls realised something was wrong when she thought the boy she was having a relationship with looked similar to one the other victim was dating.

The judge said Barker had admitted that the relationships included sexual touching.

He told her: “Nothing that you have ever said to any expert or the police sheds any light on, or provides any understanding of, your motivation for these offences.”

Barker showed no emotion as she left the dock to start her sentence.

She had previously admitted two counts of sexual assault and one of fraud. The offences took place between November 23 2009 and May 10 2010.

She received 30-month terms for the sexual assaults and three months for the fraud, the sentences to be concurrent.

The judge said Barker’s guilty pleas were “a complete reversal of the position you had held up until then”, having previously used “persistent lies and denials”.

The fraud count related to her having tried to get compensation for having been assaulted and seriously injured by one of her fictitious characters, Luke Jones.

During the hearing, Barker’s barrister, Chetna Patel, referred to probation and psychological reports which found she suffers from autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD.

“Miss Barker struggles to understand the motives and the intentions of others,” she said, telling the court that her client wanted to become “the perfect boy” for each of the victims.

Even experienced police officers who became involved in the case were deceived by her disguise at first, he said.