THE teenage schoolgirl who fled to France with jailed teacher Jeremy Forrest has revealed the pair were only caught because of her jealousy. She says she hopes to marry the 30-year-old and "have children" with him when he is released from prison.
In an interview with The Sun, the girl – who cannot be named for legal reasons – said she and Forrest were looking for bar work in Bordeaux when Alison Cummins, the manager of the HMS Victory pub, called to offer Forrest work. The schoolgirl, who was 15 at the time, decided to accompany him to the interview because she believed Cummins had flirted with him at their first meeting.
"She was pretty and was also flirting with him like crazy when we first gave her Jeremy's CV," the girl told The Sun. "I wasn't happy. Jeremy was invited back and I only went with him because I was jealous of the woman."
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However, the pair were unaware that Cummins had recognised Forrest from pictures published in British newspapers and had contacted French police.As the pair walked in to the pub hand-in-hand, undercover police swooped and arrested the teacher.
Forrest was sentenced to five and a half years for child abduction and five counts of sexual activity with a child. He must also sign the sex offenders' register for life.
Despite this, the girl has maintained that she is still in love with Forrest, claiming she "groomed" the married teacher.
She told The Guardian: "He's not a paedophile. If anything, it was me who groomed him. It's true love and I'll wait for him."
The girl has insisted that she made the decision to start a relationship with Forrest and it was her idea to flee the country, despite his reluctance. "I make my own decisions," she told the paper. "I want to spend the rest of my life with him and maybe once he's out we can marry and have children together."
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