I thought I’d met the person… but he sent my teenage daughter bribes in exchange for X-rated photos while I lay next to him – The Sun

SCHOOLGIRL Chloe was getting ready for bed when her phone pinged.

But when reading the Snapchat After receiving a message from her mother’s new boyfriend, the 14-year-old stood still: the man who had once helped with her homework was now asking for X-rated photos.

6

6

Shocked, Chloe called out to her mother Sarah Anstee, who immediately threw out partner Ben Gleeson and called the police.

Gleeson, 36, of Flint, initially pleaded not guilty after trying to escape his predatory behavior, claiming he had had an affair with another woman named “Chloe” and that he had sent the text by mistake.

But on the day of the trial at Mold Crown Court he pleaded guilty, and so he did put in prison ten months for sexual communication with a child in October last year.

Now Sarah and Chloe, who bravely gave up her right to anonymity, are speaking out to warn other potential grooming victims.

Sarah, 36, said: “Ben was my friend for a long time before he became my partner.

‘I never dreamed he had such despicable intentions towards my 14-year-old teenage daughter.

“He was very protective of Chloe and I thought he really cared about her.

“It devastated me and I wondered if I had missed the signs, but I was told so Police I was taken care of too.”

6

Sarah had barely recovered from her latest breakup when Gleeson, a celebrity friend, became extra caring.

The mother of three had been diagnosed with cervical cancer and underwent full surgery hysterectomybut the stress and pressure had taken their toll on her relationship with the father of her children and they separated.

Suddenly Gleeson was dropping by regularly for a cup of tea.

Sarah said: “It was so nice to see someone just listen to me and understand how I felt.

“Soon Ben was coming to our house regularly for cups of tea and to watch films with me and the children.

“I noticed that Ben really liked my daughter Chloe, 14, and one day I came into the living room and he was sitting next to her.”

Chloe told her that Gleeson was helping with her homework. He then won Sarah over by showering her with chocolates and bunches of flowers.

red flags

But six months after he moved in, red flags started to appear.

Sarah said: ‘I started to see a very different, controlling side of his personality.

“Then I found out he had bought Chloe a vaporizer behind my back. I was absolutely furious.

“Chloe admitted he gave it to her and told her, ‘It’ll be our little secret, Chloe.’

“I should have told him then to do one, but I didn’t.”

I started to see a completely different, controlling side of his personality. Then I found out he bought Chloe a vaporizer behind my back. I was absolutely furious

Sarah Anstee

Sarah showed compassion for Ben because she believed he did not understand parenthood. But instead of improving, the situation got worse.

“One night I was in the living room while Ben and Chloe were watching TV‘, Sara remembers.

‘Ben had come home from work and we had a takeaway for tea. I noticed that he didn’t seem like himself, he had a kind of glassy, ​​blank expression.

“The boys were with their father, so there were three of us.

‘Chole said she was going to bed, and as she walked out the living room door, Ben was stroking her hair.

“I snapped, ‘You can’t pet her hair like that!'”

Disgusting bribery

6

When the couple went to bed later that night, Gleeson was reportedly “glued to his phone.”

Sarah suspected he was having an affair and questioned him, but he assured her he was checking work emails.

Sarah said: “Then all I heard was Chloe calling for me from her bedroom. When I went into her room, she was crying and terribly upset.

“She handed me her phone and I couldn’t believe what I was reading: ‘Chloe…Will you send me some topless pictures of yourself. I’ll give you an unlimited supply of vapes.’

Gleeson had reportedly started a “friendly conversation”. Snapchat before he started calling Chloe “cute” and “gorgeous”.

Chloe, now 16, said she started receiving messages from Gleeson asking for indecent photos at 11pm, telling her: “It stays between us.”

She handed me her phone and I couldn’t believe what I read: ‘Chloe…Would you like to send me some topless pictures of yourself. I’ll give you an unlimited supply of vapes’

Sarah Anstee

She said: “It was really scary because I knew he was in the house when he sent it.

‘I didn’t know what to do or whether to let my mother know or not.

“I wanted to tell her, but I was more afraid of what she would think because this was her boyfriend at the time.

‘But I didn’t want it to go any further, or know what he would do, so I told her. I was really upset.’

Sarah added: “Ben was lying next to me texting my own schoolgirl asking for sexy pictures.

‘He had tried to bribe her… It was one of the worst moments of my life. Chloe was hysterical. Her heart broke and my heart broke for her.”

Gleeson was arrested the next morning after hiding in his brother’s house.

‘Monster in my bed’

6

During his trial, Judge Rhys Rowlands said: ‘I cannot ignore the way you tried to game the system: entering not guilty pleas, changing your mind at the last minute and then blaming your lawyer and saying you were not guilty. All this shows very little remorse on your part.”

The judge added that Gleeson’s crimes were too serious for anything other than an immediate prison sentence, jailing him for ten months.

Sarah said: “I will never forgive Ben. He was a monster in my bed and I had no idea.

“He is in prison now and that is exactly where he deserves to be. I hope he takes the time to think about what he did and realize how disgusting he is.

I will never forgive Ben. He was a monster in my bed and I had no idea. He is in prison now and that is exactly where he deserves to be

Sarah Anstee

‘This was such a breach of trust. He was someone who came into my house claiming he loved us and wanted to protect us.

‘He did the exact opposite. It was the ultimate betrayal. He was someone my daughter looked up to.

“I sometimes shudder and ask myself every day: Did I miss any red flags? Through the guidance I learn that it was not my fault.

‘Ben Gleeson is an experienced liar. A man rotten to the core.

“I want to warn other mothers and fathers: monitor your children’s social media. There are some bad people out there. Our children deserve to grow up happy and safe.”

6

Chloe said she pursued justice so she could help other people look out for danger signs of grooming, and so victims know they are not alone.

Chloe, who also attended counseling after the incident, added: ‘It has shaken my mental health and my self-confidence in every way.

“I was afraid of going out, and I don’t want to say that everyone is the same, but I became really afraid of being around men especially.

“I really don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through. It was really hard to deal with.

“If people are offered help, I would tell them to take it and not immediately turn it down.”