A WOMAN accused of committing sex acts with children claimed she allowed a boy to stay at her flat to keep him out of trouble and off the streets.
Giving evidence at Southampton Crown Court for the first time yesterday, Clair Winkworth said she was “totally shocked” when she was arrested over claims that she had engaged in sexual activity with children and had intercourse with one boy.
The 24-year-old told jurors that she got friendly with one of the children initially who used to stay overnight at her Southampton flat.
Asked whether she thought if it was inappropriate that a woman of her age should be allowing a young boy to stay, Winkworth said: “I just thought he was a teenager and rather than get into trouble it would keep him off the street. He used to get picked on so he was safe from the violence that was going on, on the estate.”
She added: “But now I wish I had never let him in at all.”
Winkworth was asked by her defence counsel about events during a sleepover in February at her Redbridge Towers home that gave rise to most of the allegations.
The boy, she said, had asked her if three of his friends could come, another boy and two girls.
Winkworth is accused of teaching the girls how to lap dance in front of the two boys. She is also accused of playing sex games with them and inciting sexual activity.
The 24-year-old denied all of the claims as “lies” but did admit to telling the two boys off after catching them taking sex toys out of a chest of drawers in her bedroom .
She said she went to sleep at around 10pm to 11pm in her own bedroom while all the children slept in her child’s bedroom while the youngster stayed with family.
Winkworth said she was not concerned about four youngsters sleeping together in the same room.
Under cross examination Winkworth was asked why she thought the four children would make the story up. She replied that she thought it was part of a plot so she would lose custody of her child.
She denies seven charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one charge of indecent assault and having sexual activity with a child.
Proceeding.
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