Alexander Westwood, a British actor who appeared in multiple episodes of hit Netflix series Sex Education, has been jailed after being found guilty of 26 sex offenses.
Westwood was sentenced to 15-and-a-half years in prison after raping a 16-year-old and sexually abusing another teenager who came to him for acting lessons.
BBC News reported that Westwood smirked in the dock as the details of his crimes were read out at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Judge Neil Chawla said Westwood had used his status and credits on shows, including BBC series Doctors, to prey on impressionable teenagers.
“This was a campaign of sexual offending, lasting just over a decade with devastating consequences,” the judge said, per The Independent. “You used your minor celebrity status as an act to prey on impressionable and naive young girls under the guise of acting lessons.”
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He added: “You have failed to show any remorse and you have shown little or no insight into the impact of your offending had on your victims. The jury rejected your story of blaming the victims. You are a serial sexual offender and it became part of your lifestyle.”
Westwood denied the offenses, which took place between 2020 and 2021. He was also convicted of assaulting a child over an eight-year period between 2010 and 2018.
Jurors were told that Westwood was a “rotten apple” and his offending was a “lifestyle” during the trial. “He is a predator,” prosecutor Andrew Wallace said.
Wallace told Wolverhampton Crown Court that the teenagers were “forced to act out the most inappropriate scenes” after seeing Westwood as a gateway to fulfilling their acting dreams.
“As fame beckons, he met two impressionable 16-year-olds and used his revered position to abuse them,” Wallace said, per BBC News.
As part of his teaching, the court heard that Westwood talked to one teenager, who was raped, about a masturbation scene from Bridgerton. When his methods were questioned, he told her: “Do what your teacher says.”
Westwood convinced the second teenager to undress for a Greek mythology scene. He touched her breast and vaginal area, the court was told.
The court heard about a third victim, a woman who was sexually assaulted between September 2020 and October 2021. Westwood was accused of pinning her down by her wrists until she bit him to escape.
BBC News reported that there was applause from the court when sentencing finished.