Jeremy Forrest: troubled teenager seduced by attentions of teacher Forrest was the only person who could deal with her mood swings, she said. When a teacher from Bishop Bell School in Eastbourne first contacted her mother to raise concerns about her apparent infatuation with Forrest last February, she acknowledged that she was aware of her daughter's "crush" and spoke to the girl about it but apparently thought little more of it. A different teacher said that as rumours about their inappropriate contact persisted, she tried to contact the girl's mother seven times in May but failed to raise a response. The girl, who now lives with her stepfather, said the fact that she had trusted Forrest with her problems made her think it would be easier for them to talk about other things and it was when she began following him on Twitter that their relationship began to cross boundaries. The messages they exchanged became increasingly intimate. Forrest gave her his mobile number and told her he loved her. They kissed and it soon developed into a full sexual relationship. In court, the girl gave the impression that she had "led" the way. She suggested that she was in control and said Forrest had merely responded to her advances. Dressed in a figure-hugging black dress in court, she could easily have passed for someone older than her 16 years. But as she relayed the minutiae of their relationship, her age and immaturity were all too apparent. She giggled as she was sworn in, fiddling with a silver necklace. Speaking to officers over a period of several hours on October 3, she used the language of a typical teenager, often veering off at a tangent and rolling her eyes. She referred to her teacher as "Mr Forrest" at least twice, speaking of their illicit seven-month relationship as any young person would discuss a first crush. "Because I liked him so much, I didn't think he would like me back," she said, giggling, as she described how she used to go into school early and hang around outside his classroom in the hope of bumping into him. She said she repeatedly told her mother she was staying at a friend's house and made excuses about why she stayed at school later than usual. Forrest gazed at the video screen, smiling affectionately as she described how she used to "mess around" in his lessons but never got into trouble. She said she still loved him, that she did not feel they had done anything wrong and had been complicit in their sexual activity. His concerns about losing his job and going to prison if they got caught "made her feel better," she said. She revealed that she caused a lot of their arguments and was "really stubborn" with him because she wanted to be his equal, appear older and show him that "she was more in charge." "I didn't want him to think that I was just going to do everything he wanted me to do or act however because I was younger," she said. I obviously felt like a child when I was with him, not that he made me feel like a child but because I knew that I was I suppose. At the time, I did not want him to see me as a kid. When it came to cross-examination, the girl asked to give evidence in court rather than via videolink. Throughout her evidence, she and Forrest repeatedly exchanged subtle smiles and knowing looks. It appeared that she still believed herself to be in love.