'Despicable' drug addict filmed herself sexually abusing boy to pay off mounting debt

A drug addict filmed herself sexually abusing a young boy after being bribed by a dealer to send him the snaps in lieu of paying her debt.

Sick Emily Hedigan was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week after admitting a string of offences against the youngster, having filmed herself performing sex acts on the boy and making him perform sexual acts on her.

Hedigan of Broadlea Grove, Bramley, Leeds was jailed for a total of 54 months by Judge Richard Mansell KC. He told her: “You owed a substantial debt to a drug dealer who was effectively bribing you to supply images to reduce that debt.

“It provides no excuse for this despicable abuse of a young boy. It was you who started taking cocaine in the first place and ran up that drugs debt. The situation was entirely of your own making. It was a vile abuse.”

As reported by our sister title the Yorkshire Evening Post, the court heard that 21-year-old Hedigan had borrowed money from a friend to help pay off some of the debt, and that that friend came to her home to retrieve money earlier this year. She took Hedigan’s phone and found the stored abuse images. The police were then called and Hedigan was arrested.

In total, there were 35 images, including 17 still images and 18 films. All were classed as Category B - with A being the most serious and C being the least. They included films of the boy and others of an unknown child.

Hedigan made full admissions during her police interview. She later pleaded guilty to three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one of sexual assault on a child, taking indecent photos, making indecent photos, distributing an indecent photo, and possession of cocaine, having been found with bags of white powder on her arrest.

She appeared in court via video link HMP New Hall where she has been held since her arrest in January. Mitigating on her behalf, Adrian Pollard said: “She has recognised the impact of her behaviour will be life-long, potentially. She is not trying to make excuses, she recognises the gravity of it.

“She told me ‘It’s horrible what I’ve done’ and that’s been her position from the first time I met her. What she did was despicable and beyond the comprehension of most people. Now she is free from the scourge of drug addiction, she is thoroughly ashamed of her behaviour.”

On top of her jail sentence, Hedigan was told she will remain on the sex offender register for the rest of her life and given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) also, which will restrict her internet use.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Insp Amy Spaven, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “Hedigan was responsible for a sustained pattern of sexual abuse against this vulnerable young boy and shared images of that abuse for financial gain. Her actions will have had a significant traumatic impact on the victim that is likely to affect him for the rest of his life. We hope that seeing her held accountable and sent to prison will provide some reassurance.

“We always treat sexual offences of this nature very seriously and have specialist safeguarding officers who will support victims and their families throughout their investigations and the court process and do everything they can to get justice for them.”