Jeremy Forrest: Schoolgirl Speaks Of 'Crush'

A schoolgirl has described how she fled the country with her teacher after her teenage crush developed into a serious relationship.

The youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, held hands with Jeremy Forrest as they sat on a flight during a school trip to Los Angeles, a court heard.

"I found him attractive," she said in a police interview played to jurors at Lewes Crown Court.

"I had had boyfriends and crushes on other people but he was older. It was a lot different. I liked that he was older and mature.

"Nothing had happened but I remember being quite excited that he was going to be on the trip. I think I made it obvious that I liked him more than other teachers."

Forrest, 30, from Petts Wood, London, denies child abduction.

His pupil at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne, Sussex, said she exchanged text messages with him after getting his phone number from a friend.

She said she told other pupils she had a crush on him and the pair met up several times after school.

They started a sexual relationship during the summer holidays last year, she explained.

"He was normal and flirty the way I was with him," she said. "He was polite and nice to everyone but with me he was a bit nicer. The more I noticed that, the (flirtier) I was."

The 15-year-old told police that when officials, including a child protection officer, intervened following an investigation by their school, she "panicked".

She said she decided to run away with Forrest when his phone, containing pictures and messages sent by her, was confiscated.

Jurors heard they caught a ferry from Dover to Calais on September 20 and "drove straight to Paris through the night, arriving at two or three in the morning".

She said she changed out of her school top before they abandoned their car and took a train to Bordeaux.

"We tried to lay low but the money started to run out," she said. "We tried to get a job - not really for me but for Jeremy because he's older and looks much older."

The teenager said they made CVs to hand out to bars and Irish pubs in order to find work. They used false names and dyed their hair in a bid to avoid being recognised, she explained.

"In that week, things were pretty normal," she said. "We didn't pay attention to the news. We just turned it off.

"We did go into a shop to look at English newspapers but they didn't have any. We weren't aware of what was going on."

The court heard the pair were stopped by French police and separated as Forrest walked to a pub where he had been offered a shift.

He broke down in tears in the dock as the youngster said her teacher had been a source of comfort to her as she dealt with personal issues.

"He gave me a hug and said it's going to be OK," she said. "He did the teacher thing and said I could speak to someone at school who could help."

Speaking about her attraction to Forrest, she added: "I just liked him a lot. I felt he liked me more than other pupils, just in a friendship way, because of common interests and because I had trusted him with something.

"There was never any awkwardness. It just seemed normal."

The trial, due to last two weeks, continues.