A woman who allegedly posed as a man to lure a teen girl into sexual encounters has been found guilty of one count of sexual assault, according to Wednesday reports.
Georgia Bilham, a 21-year-old woman of Cheshire, England, pretended to be a boy named “George Parry” during a series of intimate encounters with a 19-year-old girl, according to Fox News. Bilham dressed in male clothing, covered her long hair with a hood and removed the alleged victim’s eyeglasses to dramatically impair her vision, the outlet reported.
The 21-year-old woman would excuse her behavior by telling the unnamed alleged victim she was “paranoid” due to her connection to an Albanian gang, Fox reported. (RELATED: Loudoun County Superintendent Who Covered Up Sexual Assaults Gets $28,000 Raise Amid Investigations)
The alleged imposter was issued nine counts of sexual assault, which she reportedly denied, and eight counts of assault by penetration, according to the BBC. The jury found Bilham guilty of one count of sexual assault by kissing and innocent of 16 other charges.
Woman who posed as man convicted of assault over kiss https://t.co/SdHCfuY4t7
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 14, 2023
The pair reportedly met on Snapchat, where Bilham allegedly depicted herself as male on a fake profile.
The teen learned of Bilham’s true identity after her mother became suspicious and told her daughter she believed Bilham was actually female, according to Fox. The girl then allegedly investigated Bilham further on social media, where she reportedly learned she was being duped. She “burst into tears” when her mother raised her suspicions, the outlet reported.
The prosecution reportedly argued the young girl could not have fully consented to Bilham’s alleged sexual acts because she thought Bilham was a man, an assertion Bilham contests, according to Fox.
Bilham said she never attempted to lie about her gender, nor did she place anything in her pants to imitate a penis, Fox reported. She claimed she created the “George Parry” Snapchat account as an “escape” because she was unhappy with who she was, not because she was gratified sexually from the encounters, the New York Post reported. Bilham further denied suffering from gender dysphoria and said she considers herself heterosexual, according to the outlet.
Bilham’s lawyer, Martine Snowdon, argued the teen actually knew Bilham was female, and that she chose to continue the relationship anyway, Fox reported. She said the girl learned of Bilham’s true sex when Bilham crashed her mother’s car while driving with the teen and gave her real name to the police.
Bilham was reportedly released on bail, and faces a July 19 sentencing date.