A council in Caerphilly placed a defenceless teenage girl aged 15 in an unregulated care facility situated roughly 300 miles distant, where she endured sexual mistreatment at the hands of two ex-military personnel.
Stephen Hurst and Liam Ramsay furnished the adolescent with cocaine and spirits prior to attacking her repeatedly over a considerable timeframe.
An inquiry conducted by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that the council had positioned the teenager in accommodation close to Durham run by a care organisation called MAP Adventures.
This establishment functioned without Ofsted registration, which constitutes a criminal offence, and was overseen by a firm possessing Ministry of Defence approval.
Although carrying seven convictions between them, encompassing four for violent offences, the former servicemen were recruited by MAP Adventures to look after at-risk young people.
During 2024, the duo supplied the teenager with class A drugs and mixed drinks before sexually assaulting her.
Surveillance recordings captured the two men travelling into Durham’s central area and visiting multiple drinking establishments.
To avoid scrutiny, they settled the alcohol bills using their own bank cards, providing the girl with wine and cocktails throughout daylight hours.
They subsequently obtained £120 of class A drugs and persisted in giving her alcoholic drinks and cocaine.
Once they arrived back at the care residence, the victim suffered physical and sexual abuse lasting through the night until the following morning.
Both Ramsay and Hurst were carrying out their care responsibilities when these crimes occurred, having been allocated to look after her that particular day.
The pair faced 18 charges collectively.
They admitted to some matters while challenging many others, which required a full trial.
In April 2025, a jury found Ramsay and Hurst guilty of numerous offences including sexual activity with a minor, deliberate strangulation, and distributing a class A drug.
Ramsay, who was 40 and from Sunderland, received an eleven-year custodial term, while Hurst, aged 46 from Richmond, was handed a nine-year sentence.
Both men were placed on the sex offenders register without time limit.
Detective Constable Beth Otty, who directed the probe for Durham Constabulary, said the investigation had been prolonged and challenging, involving a substantial team of committed officers and staff who worked assiduously to achieve the most favourable outcome for the victim.
She noted they ought to have been protecting her but instead groomed, sexually assaulted and abused her.
The officer observed the girl should have been able to place her trust in them and feel secure in their presence.
She added they demonstrated no consideration for the enduring harm their conduct would inflict upon the victim.
Otty expressed admiration for the victim’s courage in reporting the offences and confronting her abusers, who could now no longer endanger any other children.