A 47-year-old child molester, who made bizarre claims about police and jurors being hypnotised, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for sexually abusing a teenage girl.
Victim's Trauma and Courtroom Denial
The defendant, identified in court as Natalie Wolf but known to the victim as Ryan Haley, was found guilty of sexual activity with a child. The abuse occurred when the victim was a young teenager, leaving her traumatised and fearing she would be raped.
In a powerful victim impact statement delivered at Newcastle Crown Court, the woman revealed the lasting damage. "I know you as Ryan Haley, a man who sexually abused me," she said. "There are few things more isolating than living in a body you don't feel safe in. I've carried shame, self-doubt, and a sense of disconnection from myself."
She poignantly added, "It made my body feel like a battlefield. While I've watched Ryan move forward, I'm left carrying what he did."
Judge Rejects Bizarre Hypnosis Conspiracy Theories
During sentencing, Judge Gavin Doig addressed the defendant's wild allegations, detailed in notes submitted to the court. Wolf claimed a vast conspiracy involving the court, prison service, lawyers, police, and others.
"You make allegations in the notes, most of which I won't repeat, including the suggestion someone was hypnotising the jury or that the jury was planted with people that didn't like you so they convicted you," Judge Doig stated. "You suggest the victim hypnotised the police officer."
The judge firmly rejected these claims, telling Wolf, "You are not the victim of a conspiracy. You are not the victim at all. [The woman] is the victim, and the sooner you accept that, the better it will be going forward." He warned that continuing to believe in the conspiracy would cause further problems.
Sentencing and Lifetime Orders
Wolf, of Shipley Walk, Byker, Newcastle, who represented themselves in court and accused the victim of lying, has 13 previous convictions, though none for sexual offences. The court acknowledged Wolf has a personality disorder and mental health issues.
Judge Doig paid tribute to the victim's courage: "It's no easy thing to come forward with an allegation like this. I commend her for doing so and I wish her well for the future."
The final sentence included:
- A prison term of three and a half years.
- An indefinite restraining order.
- A sexual harm prevention order.
- Lifetime registration on the sex offenders register.
Wolf indicated a wish to appeal the conviction.
