© Tom Blewitt – Predator Awareness

A former teacher and police officer has been sentenced following her guilty plea to sexually abusing a teenage pupil while in a position of trust more than a decade ago.

Natasha Smith, 35, of North Street, Wick, Littlehampton, appeared at Hove Crown Court where she admitted one count of sexual activity with a girl while in a position of authority. The court heard that the offence occurred around 12 years ago and spanned a period of four years. Three additional charges were denied and subsequently ordered to lie on the file by Judge Christine Henson.

Smith met the victim while working as a food technician and later as a cover supervisor at Angmering High School. She went on to teach at Durrington High School, leaving her role during the investigation carried out by Sussex Police. Prior to teaching, she had also served as a police constable. The court was told she now works as a delivery driver.

During the sentencing hearing, the victim — now in her twenties, living in Worthing and working for a charity — read a powerful victim impact statement, reflecting the deep emotional and psychological impact of the abuse.

“It’s hard to explain what it does to you when someone who had all the power, age, authority, experience, chooses not to protect or guide you, but to exploit your vulnerability for their own gain. At the time, I had just turned 17. I had only just completed my GCSEs.”

She described how Smith took advantage of her emotional vulnerability over a four-year period:

“What I naively thought was love was something I didn’t even have the tools to understand – and only left me confused about what a healthy relationship should look like and my own self-worth.

Most of my twenties were spent untangling that damage. I believed I wasn’t worthy of real love. That I had to accept crumbs. That being treated with kindness or respect was asking too much.

And I remember wondering if being loved meant losing every piece of myself just to feel chosen.”

She shared how meeting her wife had helped her find healing and reshape her understanding of love:

“But meeting my wife changed that. I knew the moment I met her that love feels completely different. She’s shown me what care looks like when it isn’t laced with control or fear. She is nothing like you. I’d been conditioned to believe I didn’t deserve safety or security. And that kind of trauma doesn’t just go away.”

The abuse has left lasting scars — with the victim recounting “constant feelings of shame,” missed career opportunities, and mental health challenges including depression and PTSD. She continues to require medication and spoke openly of a period in her life marked by suicidal thoughts:

“There will never be enough space in this statement to list everything I’ve lost, the loss of career opportunities and financial security, the loss of trust in others and in myself, the financial loss.

At one point I was paying £240 a month for over a year seeing a specialist psychotherapist. And worst of all, (at one point) I reached such a dark place that I made an attempt on my own life.

I wasn’t sure how to keep living with the way I was feeling. I couldn’t enjoy the joy of love without second-guessing it. I couldn’t see a future that didn’t feel broken.”

Her closing words underscored the prolonged and deliberate nature of the offence:

“This case is not one of a fleeting lapse in judgment. Four years is every ounce intentional, prolonged and deliberate.

No matter what sentence is handed down today, you will carry the truth of what you did to me for the rest of your life.”

Judge Henson sentenced Smith to an 18-month community order, including 80 hours of unpaid work to be completed within a year and up to 20 days of rehabilitation activity. Smith was also ordered to pay £900 in compensation, a £60 victim surcharge, and will be required to register as a sex offender for five years.

Follow us on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Got a story you want us to cover? You can contact us via…

Predatorawarenessofficial@gmail.com

Alternatively you can send a direct message to our Facebook page.