A SWIMMING coach has been jailed for three-and-a-half-years after striking up a sexual relationship with a teenage girl.
Swindon Crown Court heard yesterday that married father-of-three Stephen Hartley, 48, claimed that he knew it was wrong but he fell in love with the girl who was 11 when she joined his club.
When aged 13, the girl started sending him sexual text messages, which were discovered and later led to her suspension from the club.
They embarked on a secret relationship, meeting outdoors with the girl initiating sexual activities and had full consensual sex when she turned 16. The affair continued up until his arrest in September.
Hartley, of Hawkeridge Park, Westbury, admitted four counts of indecent assault and one charge of gross indecency.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and banned from working with children and young people.
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