A brave survivor has spoken of the lasting impact of grooming and sexual abuse after her abuser was jailed for six years.

In a victim impact statement read in court, the teenager, said: “Since what happened to me, I feel like my life has been destroyed.

“I don’t think I will ever fully heal from what happened. I’m constantly questioning myself and being tormented by flashbacks. I struggle to do anything now without it constantly being on my mind. I hardly go to school anymore and don’t like leaving the house without my mum or dad. I hate looking at myself in the mirror or in the shower because it’s a reminder that he’s touched my body, and I also struggle with nightmares and sleeping because I just can’t stop thinking and replaying everything.

“One of the hardest things for me has been grieving the person I thought Ste was.

“Having to realise that it was wrong and that it wasn’t love, just lies, makes me feel weak and gullible for believing him. Even though I know it, I still question whether he ever loved me. He made me believe that I was the only person who genuinely cared about him, and he would tell me about how bad his life had been and how I made it better and meant everything to him. This made me not want to say anything because I felt like it would make his life worse again and like I would be hurting him by getting him into trouble.”

The girl, who was 13 at the time, was first contacted through Facebook in November 2025 by Stephen Lee Hallmark, 28, before communication continued via Snapchat.

Over several weeks, Hallmark groomed the child online and continued talking to her after she told him she was 13. Hallmark, who was 27 at the time, falsely claimed he was 20 and persuaded her to tell family members he was only 15.

When asked in interview why he lied about his age, Hallmark said: “I didn’t want her to think I was an old b*****d.”

Despite knowing the child’s age, Hallmark arranged to meet her in person. Sexual abuse began when they first met at the girl’s home on 29 December 2025 and continued during three further meetings between December 2025 and February 2026. Hallmark was arrested and interviewed on 21 February 2026, shortly after the victim made her report to the police.

Evidence gathered during the investigation, including messages provided by the teen and digital enquiries carried out by officers, confirmed Hallmark continued communicating with the child after being told she was 13 years old.

During the investigation, Hallmark attempted to discourage the girl from speaking to police, telling her to ‘go no comment’ and threatening to kill himself if she disclosed what had happened.

The teenager continued: “He has taken something away from me that I can never get back. I opened up to him and was vulnerable with him because I genuinely thought he loved and cared about me. I still struggle with the fact that I believed his lies, and it’s made me question people and even myself. Even when the case is over, what happened to me will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Following a thorough investigation by Greater Manchester Police, Hallmark (12/08/1998), of Allington Street, Liverpool, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and will serve a further three years on licence. He was sentenced for meeting a girl under 16 following grooming and four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child aged 13 to 15 on Thursday 20 August 2026 at Bolton Crown Court.

In addition to his custodial sentence, the court imposed a a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), a 15-year restraining order to protect the survivor, and he will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life, restricting Hallmark’s future contact with children and use of online communication platforms.

Throughout the investigation, officers worked alongside children’s services and specialist support professionals, including an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA), exploitation and social workers, and counselling services to ensure the girl received ongoing support.

Detective Constable Alex Dibden, of Bolton’s Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU), said: “I want to thank the survivor for bravely coming forward and supporting our investigation. She has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings.

“Stephen Hallmark exploited a child for his own sexual gratification after deliberately establishing contact with her online and arranging a series of meetings, despite knowing she was only 13 years old.

“Even after his offending came to light, he attempted to manipulate the teenager and discourage her from speaking to police.

“Thanks to the survivor’s courage and the evidence gathered during our investigation, Hallmark has now been held accountable for his actions.

“This case should serve as a reminder to parents and carers to have regular conversations with young people about their online activity. Offenders can use social media and messaging platforms to build trust, manipulate children and arrange contact in the real world.

“If you have concerns about a child’s online activity or believe they may be at risk of exploitation, please report it to police.”

GMP adopts a child-centred approach to tackling child sexual exploitation, drawing on multi-agency and cross-force collaboration, utilising specialist officers and professionals to respond swiftly to incidents, safeguard victims, and pursue offenders through both criminal and civil measures, including Sexual Risk Orders and strict bail conditions.

How to report a crime and access support services

You can find information about online safety and organisations which support victims and parents here: Online child abuse | Greater Manchester Police

If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police or a support agency so you can access help and support. Support after rape and sexual assault | Greater Manchester Police

We encourage any victim to come forward to police by calling their local force on 101, reporting via the Live Chat service online, or by calling 999 in an emergency.