George Gaitley, a 24-year-old man from Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexual activity with a child under 16. The incident occurred when Gaitley was 22 years old and involved a schoolgirl victim he met online via Facebook.
According to court proceedings at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, Gaitley sent a Facebook friend request to the teenager, who disclosed her age as 15. Gaitley informed her he was 22 but claimed to feel like 17 and appear younger. The following day, they met in a field and engaged in unprotected consensual sexual intercourse, despite her legal inability to consent due to her age. Gaitley denied ejaculating when questioned, and no contraception was discussed.
Two days after the encounter, Gaitley deleted and blocked the victim on all social media platforms. Months later, when she contacted him to report missing her period, he denied the pregnancy. In their final communication, he crudely told her to 'f*** off'. The teenager subsequently gave birth, and a DNA test confirmed Gaitley as the biological father.
Prosecutor David Bennett outlined the events in court, stating: 'She told the defendant she was aged 15. He was rather vague but he did tell her he was 22 but acted like a 13-year-old and looked 16. They had consensual intercourse. She asked if he ejaculated. He told her he had not. They had no conversation about any contraception.'
The victim, in her impact statement, described the profound effects: 'I was robbed of my self-respect, dignity, friends and the end of my childhood. I was a child. Through this whole situation, the person who has suffered the most is me. He made me into a mess. His actions led to me having to sacrifice my education. I had a plan for my life. I have had to put that on hold. My child has done nothing wrong and is the best thing that ever happened to me.'
Mitigating, Catherine O'Reilly argued that Gaitley, who smokes cannabis daily, acted recklessly due to immaturity and now regrets his actions: 'He is ashamed to find himself in the dock to be sentenced for an offence of this type. He accepts he treated her appallingly. He panicked and he behaved very badly.'
Recorder Robert Smith, sentencing Gaitley, remarked: 'This took place with her factual consent, although legally she was still a child and was unable to give legal consent. You disputed you were the father. You told her to 'f*** off'. There was no contact after that. DNA proved you were the father. The way you treated her was shoddy, disgusting and horrible. I am quite sure you have been brought up to behave better than that.'
In addition to the 12-month custodial sentence, which Gaitley will serve half of in prison, he received a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must register on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years. The case was reported by Stoke-on-Trent Live on 6 November 2025.