Amanda Spencer Jailed For Luring Girls as Young as 13 into Child Prostitution

A woman who lured vulnerable girls as young as 13 into prostitution has been jailed for 12 years.

Amanda Spencer, 23, of Rawmarsh Hill, Rotherham, preyed on young girls "under the pretence of friendship" before forcing them to have sex for cash with different men.

She was found guilty of 16 counts of child prostitution during a nine-week trial. She was acquitted of a further seven counts relating to prostitution and trafficking charges.

During the same trial at Sheffield Crown Court, Ian Forster, 68, of Peckham Road, Sheffield, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault against two girls aged 13 and 14 and a woman. He was acquitted of rape.

In January, in a separate trial, he was found guilty of 12 charges relating to sex offences against children. He was jailed for 14 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Chapman who led the investigation said: "This is a shocking story of sustained and calculated abuse of a number of young girls in Sheffield.

"Amanda Spencer preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in our community, grooming them under the pretence of friendship, using the lure of drink and drugs in order to coerce them into doing what she wanted and when her demands weren't met she would threaten violence, intimidating them into submission.

"In return for providing young girls to a number of men, Spencer too was given alcohol, drugs and money. As the court has heard, she was the facilitator and most definitely the person who was pivotal to sustaining the abuse these girls experienced."