September 28th 2024.
In court, it was revealed that a social worker named Thomas Weller had been jailed for sexually messaging two young teenagers on Snapchat and accessing records of another teenager he had a past relationship with. He was referred to as a "monster" by the judge and was given a sentence of 34 months in prison.
Weller, 33, had sent explicit texts to the two teenagers, which were described as "truly revolting" by the judge. He had also searched for information on the third teenager, with whom he wanted to reconnect. The court clarified that his sexual communication was not related to his job as a social worker in West Sussex.
The mother of one of the victims, a 13-year-old girl, stated in a victim impact statement that her daughter had been deeply affected by the experience and had lost trust in social services as well as men in general. She also mentioned that her daughter now spends most of her time in her bedroom, which was once her safe space, but now feels haunted by the memories of her interactions with Weller.
During the trial, it was revealed that Weller had exchanged over 200 Snapchat messages with a 15-year-old boy and had even offered for him to come to his home. However, the boy's reluctance had prevented the meeting from taking place. It was also discovered that Weller had been using someone else's photo for his fake Snapchat profile, causing distress to the person whose photo was being used.
The court also heard that Weller had accessed social work records of the third victim, a young woman he had a brief relationship with, in an attempt to reconnect with her. The judge believed that this was a tactic to manipulate her in some way. Weller had told the police that his actions may have been a "cry for help", but the judge pointed out that the real harm in this case was the violation of trust, as vulnerable children rely on social services to protect their personal information.
Weller had pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual communication with a child and misconduct in public office. His defense lawyer stated that he suffers from mental disorders, which may have contributed to his actions. Weller himself expressed remorse for his actions and claimed that they went against his inner moral compass.
The judge sentenced Weller to 34 months in custody and he will also be on the sex offender's register for seven years. Sussex Police Detective Chief Inspector Jon Gillings praised the bravery of Weller's victims and their families for coming forward and helping bring him to justice. He also highlighted the betrayal of Weller's responsibility as a social worker, to protect vulnerable children.
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