Sex Education star jailed for horrific catalogue of sexual abuse

A star of Netflix smash Sex Education who committed dozens of sickening sex crimes including rape, has been jailed clapped a judge as he was jailed for 15-and-a-half years.

Alexander Westwood, 24, who also starred in ‘s Doctors, was convicted of 26 sex offences against women and children including raping a teenage girl.

But prosecutors believe the depth of his offending could spread to approaching 100 other offences – starting from his childhood.

The actor was found to have committed a string of heinous crimes dating back to when he was just ten.

Westwood, who starred in 17 episodes of Sex Education, was described as a “supreme manipulator” who used his stardom to prey on victims.

The actor smirked in the dock at Wolverhampton Crown Court as details of his “predatory and deviant” behaviour towards five people, four of whom were children when he abused them, were read out.

Sentencing, Judge Neil Chawla KC said Westwood had carried out “sordid sexual criminality” over an 11-year period and had been “nonchalant, bordering on arrogant” throughout the trial.

He said: “This was a campaign of sexual offending, lasting just over a decade with devastating consequences.

“You used your minor celebrity status as an act to prey on impressionable and naive young girls under the guise of acting lessons.”

The court heard abuse against his first victim started when she was just six-years-old and he was 10, with prosecutor Andrew Wallace saying it led to years of “the normalisation of sexual abuse” which included touching her breasts and himself and making her watch pornography.

He also encouraged a young boy to touch himself as part of a “game” when he was 10 and Westwood was 18, and was “highly manipulative and controlling” to another woman who he held down “every few weeks”, and told her to lay there despite the victim telling him she did not want to have sex.

Westwood, who also starred in series Doctors, also used his status as an actor to abuse two teenage girls who had come to him for acting lessons and advice..

He filmed one aspiring actress naked on his iPad, before trying to bill her family for £18,000 when she started missing his lessons following his sexual abuse.

Another victim was made to undress and engage in role-playing scenarios and Westwood raped her on at least three occasions.

He told her to “do what your teacher says” and asked: “Do you trust me?” when she told him she was uncomfortable and did not want to do the scenes.

Mr Wallace said the biggest sign of how “manipulating and controlling” he was “bullying” the girl to sign a contract locking her into receiving lessons so his abuse could continue even though she did not want to attend anymore.

He said: “It is worrying how much planning went into his offending and none of that has been converted into remorse.

“The lessons were a pretext for sexual abuse.”

He said Westwood had wanted the girl to “believe she had everything to lose” and threatened to tell her principal.

The fifth victim was also forced to act out “inappropriate” scripts, including a Greek incest scene and Westwood made her strip and touch herself.

Mr Wallace said: “Even before he reached the age of criminal responsibility he exhibited totally inappropriate sexual behaviour. He is a sexual predator, particularly towards children.”

The barrister also said Westwood could have faced 77 counts against him, but it would have been “unwieldy” to prosecute so they were condensed down to 26.

Judge Chawla said Westwood had “distorted sexual thinking”, adding: “You have failed to show any remorse and you have shown little or no insight into the impact of your offending had on your victims.

“The jury rejected your story of blaming the victims. You are a serial sexual offender and it became part of your lifestyle.”

Three of Westwood’s female victims were in court on Tuesday and supported each other as they read statements detailing the effect his abuse had on them.

Westwood showed no emotion as the women and those in the packed public gallery cried.

His first victim, who suffered at least 36 separate assaults, told the court she had recurring nightmares of Westwood and has struggled with self-esteem, adding: “I have been violated my whole life when I should have been safe.”

The mother of Westwood’s male victim, who read out a statement on behalf of her son as he is still a child, said the abuse is “always in the back of my mind” and that he wished it had not happened.

Another victim said the abuse was “dehumanising” and left her struggling to form relationships and “constantly on edge”.

One of the teenagers he abused during acting lessons sobbed as she told the sentencing hearing she had started to “despise” acting, a career she had wanted to pursue.

She also said she struggled to shower because she did not like touching her body, adding: “No matter how much I wash, I still feel dirty.”

Ordering Westwood to serve at least two-thirds of his 15-and-a-half-year term in prison before he is eligible for parole, Judge Chawla also said he must spend four years on licence.

He was also handed a 26-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the five victims, and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

Judge Chawla also said he had shown Westwood “mercy” by allowing him out on bail after he was convicted to allow him to spend Christmas with his elderly parents, but was on strict conditions to sleep at his home address.

Despite this, he was found in a hotel “in clear breach of the terms of bail” and was taken into custody.