A care worker who allegedly had a sexual relationship with a boy at a children's home encouraged him to go missing over WhatsApp, a trial has heard. Lindy Leah, 44, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. She is accused of engaging in the "highly inappropriate behaviour" with a resident of the care home in St Helens, Merseyside, where she worked as deputy manager. It included her wearing "completely unsuitable clothing" which was "skin tight" and "highly revealing" in his presence. The married mum-of-two was also said to have "fallen in love with" the teen, and sent him what were described as "highly inappropriate" messages, reports the Liverpool Echo.
On Monday afternoon, prosecutor Simon Christie told a jury of three men and nine women during the prosecution's opening: "This case concerns what the crown say is a serious and persistent breach of trust. Lindy Leah, by her own admission, fell in love with him. But the crown say that this went beyond the sort of parental love that offers care and support, and it became something more physical and inappropriate.
He said the boy "will not be giving evidence" as he "does not support the prosecution", adding: "What we have are the observations of some of those adults who witnessed Lindy Leah interact with [the boy] and who will say that her behaviour was often highly inappropriate. In addition, we have the downloads of many messages between the two of them, principally from WhatsApp, that paint a picture of a relationship far removed from key worker and child. There are many expressions of love in the WhatsApp messages.".
Leah, from Orford, Warrington, was also said to have video footage of the teenager while he was "asleep or in bed" stored on her mobile phone. Concerns over Leah's behaviour led to her being spoken to by the police in June last year, though she "denied any improper behaviour", the court heard. She was released on bail under the condition that she cease contact with the boy, but a colleague then spotted the two of them together in a car the following month.
Jurors were also told that other co-workers were "greatly concerned" by the defendant "frequently" wearing "revealing" clothing. This included Leah wearing a "bodysuit without underwear" and "highly visible thongs". A member of staff recalled her telling the teen "I've had a shower but I forgot to bring clean knickers" on one occasion. She was then said to have "pulled up her bodysuit" in a revealing manner before stating: "Oh, you can see my nipples.".
The teen's mum was said to have been "initially impressed with the care her son was getting" at the home, but "grew more concerned as time went on". When she approached Leah, who wore a black jumper in the dock with her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, she replied that he "had her wrapped around his little finger" and "thought he was gorgeous and handsome". Members of the jury were then read a string of WhatsApp messages sent between the two parties over the course of around two months. During one exchange, Leah told the boy that she was "proper paranoid" that she had "lost" him.
When the teen, whose number she had stored in her contacts as "Pain in My A**e", was reassured that she had not, she responded "I hope with all my heart that's true" before adding "I hope I've not lost you to a sl*g". Her texts, which were apparently sent when she was "in the pub and drunk again", continued: "Your lying made me wanna kill myself. I'm not emo either. Where you gone? I'm sorry. If you never met me then your life would be better.".
After the boy asked her "why you ringing me while you're p***ed?", Leah replied: "To numb the pain of losing you. I miss you so much. All I want is for me and you to have a night away from everything, just us. She then asked "Do you want to go MFC on 17th?". This abbreviation was said to be a reference to "missing from care". Leah then continued: "I love you so much. Can I book somewhere for you and me on Friday? Somewhere with balloons and flake.".
The court also heard that Leah took the child on three trips away to caravans in Cheshire and North Wales. This included a two-night booking for a £140 "holiday" on one occasion. Leah denies one count of being a person in a position of trust causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The trial continues, and is expected to last for around a week. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories.
