Criminal penalty 30 months Name Gemma case | ||
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Criminal charge Sexual assault, fraud Similar Cyril Smith , Halifax child sex abuse ring , Clement Freud | ||
Gemma Barker is a British woman from Staines, Surrey, who was convicted of sexual assault and fraud.
Contents
Male disguise
The actions leading up to these convictions became widely reported in the media, as she had created three different male personas via social media, which she used to form relationships with teenage girls.
Background
Victim Jessica
Whilst living in West Molesey, Surrey, Gemma Barker developed physical and emotional relationships with her friends, Jessica Sayers and one other who opted to remain anonymous, whilst identifying as the different males. She was eventually arrested as her male persona "Aaron" for committing sexual assault on Sayers, but her physical sex and identity were still not discovered until she was forced to undergo a strip search.
Imprisonment
Emily Barker (red top) and Natalie Frank who where involved in a Facebook hoax by their friend Gemma Barker.
At Guildford Crown Court on 5 March 2012, Judge Peter Moss sentenced Barker to 30 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault, to be served concurrently with three months for fraud. She has been diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Media
Gemma Barker.
She is the subject of the Channel 4 documentary The Girl Who Became Three Boys. Barker has since been released on licence.
