Dental receptionist, intoxicated and inappropriate with a minor, avoids prison after excessive alcohol consumption

A dental receptionist sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy after she started chatting with him randomly after drinking too much white wine.

Jade Berry, 27, was walking through Rivacre Valley Country Park in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, at 9pm when she approached the child as he sat on a bench in the woods and chatted to a friend about his next 14th birthday.

Berry sat between the two boys and began fondling the 13-year-old’s genitals over his clothes before propositioning him for sex and telling him she would “ride you until morning.”

As the shocked youth and his friend got up to leave, she pulled down her pants and exposed herself before passing out in a drunken stupor.

Both boys took videos of Berry before getting up to leave. She was identified after leaving her bank card and phone on the bench.

Dental receptionist Jade Berry, who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy in a park before exposing herself to him and passing out, has escaped prison

When questioned by police, Berry exclaimed: “Oh my God, I don’t remember anything” – but was later spotted by the boy during an identity parade.

The 13-year-old, who had ADHD, later said he was so traumatized by the encounter that he attempted suicide.

At Chester Crown Court, Berry, who lives in the village of Little Sutton, near Ellesmere Port, faced up to two years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a man, but was released with 12 months suspended prison sentence of 18 months after claiming she had mental health problems.

She was also ordered to wear an electronic “sobriety” tag for 120 days as part of an alcohol abstinence monitoring program and will be required to complete 35 days of rehabilitation activities. He was asked to register on the sex offenders register for ten years.

The incident happened on October 3 last year, as Berry was walking through the 300-acre nature reserve after drinking heavily with friends.

James Coutts, prosecuting, said: “The victim was sitting on a bench in the forest when the defendant approached him. She was not known to him and was visibly intoxicated. She sat between the two boys and began touching and rubbing his genitals and upper thigh on his clothing while making highly inappropriate and sexualized comments. She said she was going to “ride him until morning.”

“They had actually already talked about his upcoming 14th birthday – and it was clear to them that she knew how old he was.

“The boys left almost immediately, leaving her on the bench. She took off her clothes and exposed her genitals and buttocks before passing out. They filmed the scene.

“The victim returned home and told her mother who contacted the police. The police went to the scene and found his bank card and phone.

“By the time the officers arrived, she had left the area. But she was arrested on October 5. His response to his arrest was: “Oh my God, I don’t remember anything.”

“He was asked questions during an interview. She responded “No comment” to all questions. An identity parade was organized in which the victim was involved. He managed to identify the accused as the one involved in the incident.

“The victim described feeling depressed after the assault and described an occasion when he attempted suicide. He later had night terrors about the incident and nightmares that caused him to wet the bed. He described taking medication and not feeling able to return to the park. He doesn’t leave the house much. He feels scared, anxious and generally unsafe.

“He received advice from two separate sources to aid his recovery, but he lost the confidence he had. There are obviously aggravating circumstances to this offense. There was the presence of alcohol and the defendant’s intoxication and the victim was particularly vulnerable due to her age and difficulties.

Berry has a previous conviction for drunk driving in 2021.

She got between them and touched him sexually on his clothes, before telling him “I’m going to ride you until morning.”

Berry, 27, drank white wine before approaching the boy and his friend at Rivacre Valley Country Park in Ellesmere Port

Her lawyer, John Wyn Williams, said: “She has unfortunately suffered from mental health problems since the age of 15 or 16 and Covid has been a particularly difficult time for her. She has a self-destructive nature, and because of this nature, she turned to alcohol to deal with her problems, but she now realizes that it is not the answer to her problems.

“The separation of his parents was another factor that caused his mental anguish. Her memory of this unfortunate incident is quite limited, but she did not want this young boy to be forced to testify at a trial. Her psychiatrist identifies anxiety disorders, panic attacks, borderline personality disorder as mental health problems – and because of these problems, she drank too much.

“It appears that her alcohol intoxication led her to commit this offense. There is genuine sincere remorse and she shows empathy towards the victim.

When questioned by police, Berry exclaimed: “Oh my God, I don’t remember anything” – but was later spotted by the boy during an identity parade.

Sentencing Judge Mr Recorder Mr Eric Lamb: “As this was a chance encounter you were not aware of the vulnerability of your victim but the consequence of what you did was awful for the complainant and his family. He attempted suicide, suffered night terrors and needed counseling to try to overcome the impact of what you did.

“You have no memory of what you did because of the amount of alcohol you consumed, but committing an offense while drinking is an aggravating factor. The reasons why you consume alcohol are numerous and complex and although I must take into account whether or not you pose a risk of serious harm to members of the public through the commission of other offenses specific, in your case the conclusion is that such a risk is low. I accept that there is genuine and sincere remorse.

“On the one hand, this is a sexual assault on a young person by a 27-year-old and it is clearly a serious matter. But on the other hand, there is strong personal attenuation resulting from genuine remorse and the series of events that led to your mental health problems. You now realize that you need to change your habits.