Groomed Teen Speaks Out

13 July 2012, 06:00

Rebecca from Luton is hoping to warn others of the dangers of the Internet after she was groomed and sexually assaulted by a man she met in a chat room.

She was only 15 when she started talking to the man- he told her he was 18.

She told Heart she knew immediately that there was something strange about him, she says: "He was really clingy".

But he told her he was going though a tough time and she felt sorry for him so she continued talking to him.

She then went to meet him, she says it was just for a coffee and a chat but he when he arrived he forced her to get in his car- he then drove her to Dunstable Downs and sexually assaulted her.

The man has been charged over what happened and is now in prison.

Rebecca told Heart that during the trial she tried to take her own life:

"I feel really stupid, really naive, a lot of people and family criticised- I couldn't sleep, I couldn't go out, I over ate, comfort eating, I just used to cry all the time"

She says more now needs to be done to protect young girls from using chat rooms.

She no longer uses them but says when she did, there were girls as young as 13 using inappropriate photos of themselves to try and meet boys.