A young woman who ran a child sex ring from the age of 16 by luring "weak and vulnerable" girls into prostitution has been jailed for 12 years.
Amanda Spencer, from Sheffield, initially befriended her victims - some as young as 13 - before forcing them to have sex for cash.
She spent the money on drugs and alcohol, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Spencer, now 23, was convicted last week of 16 charges relating to child prostitution.
She was cleared of seven other charges, including arranging or facilitating child prostitution, intentionally causing or inciting a person to become a prostitute, and one count of trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation.
During a trial lasting more than two months, the jury heard Spencer deliberately targeted vulnerable girls in Sheffield.
Prosecutors decided they would not pursue a retrial on a further 14 charges on which the jury could not reach a verdict.
Spencer denied all the crimes of which she was accused, claiming her victims had either made up their accounts or that she had never met them.
She had been on trial with four men, who were also accused of offences involving young girls.
Three were acquitted last week but 68-year-old Ian Foster was convicted.
Foster, from High Green, was jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.
He had previously been found guilty of 12 child sex offences, at a separate trial in February.
Jurors heard Foster bought his victims - some as young as 12 - alcohol and cigarettes and took them to nightclubs before abusing them at his home.
After the sentencing, South Yorkshire Police said the convictions followed "a lengthy and complex inquiry by the force spanning more than two years, exploring the exploitation and sexual abuse of young girls and young women between 2004 and 2011."
Officers became increasingly concerned for the welfare of young girls who were repeatedly going missing and launched an investigation in 2011.
"Intelligence experts began mapping their movements to establish if there was a pattern and Spencer quickly emerged as the common denominator in their disappearance, prompting officers to make contact with the girls and uncover the illicit crimes," a spokesman said.
"Gradually some of the girls revealed what had happened to them, how Spencer had befriended them, gained their trust and then abused it in the most shocking way by using threats and violence to coerce them into engaging in prostitution and having sex with different men."
Det Ch Insp Bob Chapman, who led the investigation, said Spencer had carried out "sustained and calculated abuse".
"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," he said.
"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."
A victim of child sex ring leader Amanda Spencer has described the shocking physical and psychological brutality she used to trap vulnerable girls in a life of prostitution.
One girl, who had been sleeping rough in the city's Abbeyfield Park, told Sheffield Crown Court she thought Spencer would protect her but was left fearing for her life when she was locked in a room where seven men paid to abuse her.
"She used to ring men and they used to come round and she used to lock the door and would not let me go and they tried stuff with me," she said.
"She used to make me do it and if I did not she would hit me. I just got sick of her hitting me and so I just did it for her."
"I thought 'I'm not going to get out of here alive'. I thought 'I'm going to die'.
"I should have just run away but like an idiot I just stuck by her."
Det Ch Insp Bob Chapman, who led the police investigation, said: "The abuse suffered by the victims was grotesque.
"It beggars belief that a young female could actually, in effect, pimp other young, vulnerable females for so long for the benefit of money, drugs and to curry favour with various people."
Prosecutor Michelle Colborne QC told jurors the girl "liked Amanda Spencer and believed she would protect her".
"She had a drug problem and this was the means by which she was exploited."
"When she was given money for sex she would have to hand it over to Amanda Spencer, who would use it to buy her drugs."
South Yorkshire Police said the investigation was one of the "most complicated and lengthy" the force had conducted.
Eighteen officers worked on what they called Operation Alphabet, interviewing 286 people and examining nearly 1,500 documents.
Det Ch Insp Chapman said providing "constant support" to the victims had been crucial in order to earn their trust.
The police teamed up with a range of agencies, including health and social services, over the course of the three-year investigation.
Jayne Ludlam, a member of the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board, described how difficult it had been to persuade Spencer's victims to testify against her.
She said: "Let us not forget the bravery of the young people involved, who spoke out against the exploitation that they suffered and then had to re-live it all again in the court case.
"Their courage will have helped to prevent other young people suffering similar abuse and we are very grateful for this."
One of Spencer's victims said: "There have been times where I have not wanted to go through with this."
"The day I had to do the ID parade was the worst. I didn't think I could go through with it but they [the police] talked me through it and supported me and genuinely cared."
Amanda Spencer, from Sheffield, initially befriended her victims - some as young as 13 - before forcing them to have sex for cash.
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| Amanda Spencer |
Spencer, now 23, was convicted last week of 16 charges relating to child prostitution.
She was cleared of seven other charges, including arranging or facilitating child prostitution, intentionally causing or inciting a person to become a prostitute, and one count of trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation.
During a trial lasting more than two months, the jury heard Spencer deliberately targeted vulnerable girls in Sheffield.
Prosecutors decided they would not pursue a retrial on a further 14 charges on which the jury could not reach a verdict.
Spencer denied all the crimes of which she was accused, claiming her victims had either made up their accounts or that she had never met them.
She had been on trial with four men, who were also accused of offences involving young girls.
Three were acquitted last week but 68-year-old Ian Foster was convicted.
Foster, from High Green, was jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.
 |
| Ian Foster |
Jurors heard Foster bought his victims - some as young as 12 - alcohol and cigarettes and took them to nightclubs before abusing them at his home.
After the sentencing, South Yorkshire Police said the convictions followed "a lengthy and complex inquiry by the force spanning more than two years, exploring the exploitation and sexual abuse of young girls and young women between 2004 and 2011."
Officers became increasingly concerned for the welfare of young girls who were repeatedly going missing and launched an investigation in 2011.
"Intelligence experts began mapping their movements to establish if there was a pattern and Spencer quickly emerged as the common denominator in their disappearance, prompting officers to make contact with the girls and uncover the illicit crimes," a spokesman said.
"Gradually some of the girls revealed what had happened to them, how Spencer had befriended them, gained their trust and then abused it in the most shocking way by using threats and violence to coerce them into engaging in prostitution and having sex with different men."
Det Ch Insp Bob Chapman, who led the investigation, said Spencer had carried out "sustained and calculated abuse".
"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," he said.
"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."
A victim of child sex ring leader Amanda Spencer has described the shocking physical and psychological brutality she used to trap vulnerable girls in a life of prostitution.
One girl, who had been sleeping rough in the city's Abbeyfield Park, told Sheffield Crown Court she thought Spencer would protect her but was left fearing for her life when she was locked in a room where seven men paid to abuse her.
"She used to ring men and they used to come round and she used to lock the door and would not let me go and they tried stuff with me," she said.
"She used to make me do it and if I did not she would hit me. I just got sick of her hitting me and so I just did it for her."
"I thought 'I'm not going to get out of here alive'. I thought 'I'm going to die'.
"I should have just run away but like an idiot I just stuck by her."
Det Ch Insp Bob Chapman, who led the police investigation, said: "The abuse suffered by the victims was grotesque.
"It beggars belief that a young female could actually, in effect, pimp other young, vulnerable females for so long for the benefit of money, drugs and to curry favour with various people."
Prosecutor Michelle Colborne QC told jurors the girl "liked Amanda Spencer and believed she would protect her".
"She had a drug problem and this was the means by which she was exploited."
"When she was given money for sex she would have to hand it over to Amanda Spencer, who would use it to buy her drugs."
South Yorkshire Police said the investigation was one of the "most complicated and lengthy" the force had conducted.
Eighteen officers worked on what they called Operation Alphabet, interviewing 286 people and examining nearly 1,500 documents.
Det Ch Insp Chapman said providing "constant support" to the victims had been crucial in order to earn their trust.
The police teamed up with a range of agencies, including health and social services, over the course of the three-year investigation.
Jayne Ludlam, a member of the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board, described how difficult it had been to persuade Spencer's victims to testify against her.
She said: "Let us not forget the bravery of the young people involved, who spoke out against the exploitation that they suffered and then had to re-live it all again in the court case.
"Their courage will have helped to prevent other young people suffering similar abuse and we are very grateful for this."
One of Spencer's victims said: "There have been times where I have not wanted to go through with this."
"The day I had to do the ID parade was the worst. I didn't think I could go through with it but they [the police] talked me through it and supported me and genuinely cared."
While this woman is clearly a user, abuser, and loser, she is still quite young and will be when she gets out of prison. I believe we should pray for her while there is still time to make something useful out of her life, but also, so she doesn't go right back to work when she does get out.
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