In May 2014, Lorna-May Anslow, a Portsmouth resident, was just 16 years old when she first connected with Joseph Johnson, who was at the time 21.
After discovering she was pregnant four months later, Lorna-May, now 19 years old, moved in with Johnson’s mother. However, her world quickly came tumbling down when she learned that her boyfriend had been accused of engaging in sexual contact with a minor.
Initially standing by him, she ended things after Johnson, now 24 and from Feltham, was convicted and added on the list of sex offenders.
She found out her ex was up to his old tricks many months later when he started Instagram messaging teenage girls.
Following a tip from Lorna-May to the police, Johnson received a two-year prison term with a 12-month suspension.
The single mother said how she and Johnson clicked right away after talking on social media.
“For me, it was love at first sight,” she recounted. Joseph was not only stunning, but also affable, pleasant, and endearing.
He treated me like a queen and was a true gentleman. I thought I was the luckiest girl alive.
Soon after they started dating seriously, Lorna-May discovered she was pregnant in September 2014, only four months later.
Even though I knew I loved Joseph, it was still a great shock, she said. Although I had been feeling under the weather for a few weeks, the thought of becoming pregnant never even entered my thoughts.
“I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to become a mother. Joseph was astounded as well.
A few weeks after resolving not to act hastily, Lorna-May experienced an ectopic pregnancy scare and required an early scan to assess whether the baby was growing in her fallopian tube.
Fortunately, the infant was healthy and developing normally, but Lorna-May realized she wanted to keep the child because she was afraid of losing it.
I assured Joseph that there was no pressure and that he could be as involved as he wished to be, she recounted.
“I prepared myself for his response, but surprisingly, he was ecstatic to be a father.
Although I would never have had Joseph remain with me, deep down I didn’t want to have this kid by myself, therefore I was overjoyed.
After that, Lorna-May relocated to Johnson’s mother’s home so they could spend time together while getting ready for the baby’s arrival.
We talked for hours about what life would be like once we had children, she remarked.
While Johnson was at football practice, Lorna-May decided to clean out his room while she was 16 weeks pregnant.
However, something caught her attention when she was organizing his closet’s clothing.
There was a substantial amount of paperwork crammed into a carrier bag, she said. I took the papers out and began leafing through them. I was physically sick to my stomach at what I saw.
Johnson was accused of engaging in sexual behavior with a minor.
The documents showed text communications between him and a 14-year-old from a few months before to Lorna-introduction May’s to him.
She acknowledged: “As I considered what this meant for us—for the baby—my gut clenched hard.
“Joseph had gone through so much so quickly; did I even know him at all?”
Lorna-May awaited his return from football before confronting him because she was furious and disappointed.
She described how he reassured her that it was a female he had been seeing before they met and that he “didn’t anticipate to get fined for it” because it was an error.
He admitted to being extremely immature at the time but stated he had matured for me and the baby, according to Lorna-May.
I desperately wanted to think he was telling the truth. But I was unable to confirm. I decided to give it a go and made an effort to ignore the problem in favor of the infant.
The couple was thrilled to learn at the 20-week scan that they were expecting a girl.
For a few weeks, everything seemed ideal, Lorna-May recalled. We created a list of names for girls that we adored, and as my belly expanded, so did my excitement for meeting our daughter.
“But Joseph was required to appear in court in February 2015.
“I agreed to stand by him, but as we ascended the court steps, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“I waited outside the courthouse because I didn’t want to enter. His face was pallid, and I could see he had been crying, when he finally emerged after what seemed like an eternity.
After being found guilty, Johnson was given a three-year community order and a five-year order to deter sexual offenses. He spent five years on the list of sex offenders.
I felt nauseous, remarked Lorna-May. For the next few weeks, the notion that Joseph was a pedophile in the eyes of the law kept repeating itself in my thoughts.
Finally, in March 2015, Lorna-May came to the conclusion that she could no longer be with him.
“I had to consider about the safety of my unborn child,” she said. I didn’t want to partner with a sex offender to raise a child. Additionally, I could not take the thought of him touching me.
Grace, a baby girl, was born to Lorna-May in May 2015 following a four-day labor.
She declared: “She was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
Even though I allowed Joseph to meet her in the hospital, I was clear that I didn’t want him in our lives and made a promise to shield her from everything.
“He was upset and pleaded for a second chance, but I refused.
“I knew that was the correct thing to do, but it was hard.”
In June, less than a month later, Lorna-worst May’s suspicions came true.
She said: “I was aimlessly browsing Instagram when I came across a comment Joseph had made on a picture of a teenage girl.
I could tell she wasn’t quite sixteen. He had already been forbidden from contacting girls online, but it was evident that he was up to his old tricks again.
I reported him to the police right away. When they reached the girl in question, she consented to file a report.
Thanks to Lorna-tip-off, May’s Johnson was found guilty of violating his ban in October 2015 and given a 12-month sentence with a suspension.
He allegedly texted a 15-year-old girl, calling her “sexy,” and urging her to strip for him. Portsmouth Crown Court heard this.
Judge Ian Pearson issued him a sexual harm prevention order, prohibiting him from contacting young girls online for ten years, since he was “a risk to adolescent girls.”
Additionally, for five years, Johnson was had to sign the sex offenders register.
In the meantime, Grace and Lorna-May are going forward with their lives after meeting Connor, a new man who is 20 years old.
“I’ll never forget the day I was cleaning out the closet and found out the father of my baby is a pedophile,” she feigned regret.