Woman who sold child sex jailed

Fiona Walsh was described as cynical and cold-blooded

A female pimp who lured girls as young as 12 into prostitution by getting them hooked on drugs has been jailed.

Fiona Walsh, 33, groomed them with clothes and other gifts before introducing them to crack cocaine.

Once they were addicted, she began offering them to customers at her home or in the streets, a court was told.

Walsh, of Kilburn, north-west London, was given a 10-year prison term after she pleaded guilty to four counts of child prostitution and supplying drugs.

She befriended the girls having met them while out shopping or through mutual acquaintances, Inner London Crown Court heard.

Cynical and cold-blooded

Five victims told police how Walsh had ruined their lives, although the case against her focused on offences against two girls, aged 12 and 15.

Joanna Korner QC, prosecuting, said the two victims were vulnerable as they were from "dysfunctional, single parent family backgrounds".

"She cynically and cold-bloodedly befriended them in order to use them for her own purposes," she said.

"She exercised control over them through the belief she was their friend and by supplying drugs."

Prison dealing

She told the court the 12-year-old had tried hard but failed to give up prostitution and faced a "very uncertain future".

Walsh, who has a string of convictions for prostitution, initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea minutes before the trial was due to begin.

She admitted one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and supplying her with crack cocaine.

She also admitted attempting to procure a second youngster, aged 15, to have unlawful sexual intercourse and supplying her with hard drugs.

She pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply class A substances while on remand in Holloway Prison.

Thirteen other charges were not proceeded with and "left on the file".

Judge Roger Chapple banned her from working with children for life and imposed a life-long Sexual Offences Prevention Order, regulating her access to young people.