An 18-year-old nursery worker became Britain’s youngest convicted female pedophile she was found guilty of sexually assaulting and taking indecent images of toddlers, while she was employed at the childcare facility.
The culprit, Sophie Elms, was only 17 when she preyed on two young children, aged three and two. The police have confirmed that none of the alleged offences took place in the nursery where Elms worked.
Elms pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including penetration, sexual assault and taking and distributing indecent photographs of children. She was also charged with four counts of assaulting the children.
The teeanger confessed to penetrating the two-year-old with her tongue and penetrating the three-year-old with her fingers, in a series of attacks between Dec 2016 and March this year.
During the same period, she also sexually assaulted both the children and confessed to intentionally touching the children indecently. Elms also took and distributed indecent photographs of the children, in the same time frame.
Besides her crimes against the toddlers, Elms also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing extreme pornography showing graphic bestiality.
Elms’ defense attorney called the case “highly unusual” and noted that “Miss Elms was only 17 herself at the time when the offences occurred.”
Judge Robert Pawson fulfilled the teenager’s request to be remanded in custody until her sentence hearing over fears for her safety and said:
“You have pleaded guilty to what I suspect you fully understand are extremely serious charges. I remand you into custody on the basis of fears for your own safety. Your sentencing will take place on January 4.
“Until that time, my strongest advice to you is that you avoid using social media for some time to come. You are very unlikely to make things better for your victims and their families by posting on social media, and you are very unlikely to make things better for yourself.”
