Description
Two childcare workers who abused their position and targeted a vulnerable child, supplying her with drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing her have been jailed.
On October 3, last year Liam Ramsey and Stephen Hurst took a 15-year-old girl, who was in their care into Durham City Centre.
CCTV captured the actions of the pair as they arrived in Durham and then began visiting local pubs.
To avoid detection, they used their personal bank cards to purchase alcohol, plying the victim with wine and cocktails throughout the day. On the way back to the care home, they made a detour to purchase 120 worth of Class A drugs.
Ramsey and Hurst then took the child back to the care home where they continued to supply her with alcohol and gave her cocaine.
The victim told police that because of all the cocaine they had given her, she had a nosebleed and went upstairs.
As the victim went upstairs, Ramsey came into the room naked followed by Hurst who was also naked.
The victim was then subjected to physical and sexual abuse throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning.
Both Ramsey and Hurst were on duty at the time of the offences, being her carers for the day.
Liam Ramsey and Stephen Hurst were arrested after the victim left the care home following the ordeal.
Officers later charged Ramsey and Hurst with 18 offences and they were remanded into court.
The pair made some initial admissions but also denied many of the offences and so were taken to trial.
In April, the jury found Ramsey and Hurst guilty of numerous offences including sexual activity with a child, intentional strangulation and supply of a class A drug.
Ramsey, 40, of Sunderland was jailed for 11 years whilst Hurst, 46, of Richmond was jailed for 9 years.
Both men were placed on the sex offenders register for life.