Married mother jailed after posing as teenage girl to groom 15-year-old boy for sex

Marie Dent admits three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of possessing indecent images of a child

Marie Dent met her victim twice last year after first befriending him on Facebook (Essex Police)

A married mother-of-two has been jailed after posing as a teenage girl to groom a 15-year-old boy for sex.

Marie Dent met her victim twice last year after first befriending him on Facebook and exchanging messages using a fake account.

The pair took part in sexual activity in his bedroom, Chelmsford Crown Court was told.

Dent, from Clacton in Essex, kept footage of the child performing a sex act on her phone, which was later found by police, The Mirror reports.

The 44-year-old also exchanged a “large amount” of messages with her victim, some of which were of a sexual nature.

Dent, described as a “predator” by police, admitted to three counts of sexual activity with a child and a charge of possessing indecent images of a child.

The court was told Dent first met the boy on 23 November, then a second time on 2 December. Two days later she was arrested by Essex Police after the victim’s mother found them together at his home.

The pair had argued about her age when they met, but the boy said he was a willing participant and was not coerced, according to the BBC.

Judge Emma Peters said the lack of coercion was “irrelevant”, with Dent "looking to find solace in an entirely wrong place".

Hannah Sutton, Dent’s lawyer, said in mitigation that her client had suffered abuse both as a child and an adult.

"Her behaviour was prompted by emotional needs and not sexual gratification," she said.

Dent has been put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.