A former social worker from West Sussex has been convicted of abusing his position to engage in sexual communications with vulnerable children. Thomas Weller, 33, from Horsham, was identified after an investigation was launched on 3 March when explicit messages were discovered on a vulnerable teenage girl’s Snapchat account. The messages, sent by Weller, were sexual in nature and persisted even after the girl disclosed she was a child. Weller also offered to buy her alcohol in exchange for sexual acts.
The investigation revealed Weller had misused his position to access personal data. He was arrested on 24 March, and further sexual communications with another teenage girl were found on his Snapchat account. Weller was subsequently charged with two counts of sexual communication with a child and misconduct in public office.
On 5 July, Weller pleaded guilty to both counts of sexual communication at Lewes Crown Court, and on 31 July, he admitted to the misconduct in public office. He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on 27 September.
Detective Chief Inspector Jon Gillings stated, “Thomas Weller abused his position of trust and responsibility to take advantage of vulnerable children. I would like to thank both the children involved and their families for reporting this to the police and supporting this investigation through to its conclusion. Thank you also to our partners in West Sussex County Council for their support and prompt action when Weller’s offending first came to light.”
Sussex Police are continuing to investigate whether Weller may have abused other victims. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police online or via 101, quoting serial 297 of 31/07.
