American man jailed for grooming Welsh teenager

Local TV

A 44 year old from North Carolina has been jailed after flying to Wales to marry a teenager he was grooming online. Jacob Ewing of Wildcat Pound Road, Hubert, NC, has been jailed for more than seven years and could face deportation on his release.

Transcript

00:00A man from the United States has been jailed for grooming a teenage girl from Wales and

00:08travel into the UK with the intention of meeting her and marrying her. 44-year-old Jacob Ewing

00:13of Wildcat Pound Road in Hubert, North Carolina, was sentenced to seven years and eight months

00:18in prison at Newport Crown Court after admitting to a series of offences, including causing

00:22or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The court heard that Ewing met the girl, who

00:28cannot be named for legal reasons, on a random video chat website where he began communicating

00:34with her regularly and over time gained control over her behaviour online. He told the girl he was

00:40a Christian and claimed to be a so-called paedophile hunter, but went on to manipulate her over a period

00:46of months. In March last year, as the girl approached her 16th birthday, Ewing travelled to Wales with

00:51wedding rings and plans to marry her. He was arrested at Cardiff airport after a tip-off from

00:57American authorities. In his luggage, officers found a knife, a wooden cosh, and a number of

01:02indecent images, some of which were described in court as highly disturbing. The court was told Ewing

01:08had a significant level of control over the girl's life and behaviour, leaving her distressed and

01:13struggling with her mental health. Judge Celia Hughes said the teenager and her family had been left

01:18devastated by the defendant's actions and that his behaviour had caused significant emotional harm.

01:23Ewing pleaded guilty to 13 offences and may face deportation once his sentence is complete.

01:31Gwent Police praised the bravery of the victim and thanked international partners for helping

01:36intercept Ewing before he could cause further harm. Gwent Police Watkins, reporter for Local TV,

01:40Newport Crown Court.

01:41Gwent Police

01:42Gwent Police

01:43Gwent Police

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