'Pain left by actor who abused us is there forever'

"He's a narcissist and he's a predator in the truest sense of the word," one of Alexander Westwood's victims told the BBC

Actor Alexander Westwood carried out a catalogue of sexual abuse, and was jailed on Tuesday for offences that included rape.

The case centred on the experience of five victims, four of whom were children at the time, with the youngest aged six.

In some instances, Westwood, from Albrighton, Shropshire - who appeared as a background player in high-profile TV dramas - used his profession to enable his behaviour, ensnaring two girls to whom he offered acting lessons. Others fell into his sphere in different ways.

Since his conviction in December, the BBC has spoken to two of his victims and the mother of another. What follows is an account of the ordeal - by those whose lives he darkened.

It is an account that 24-year-old Westwood - an extra on Netflix series Sex Education and the BBC's Doctors - hoped you would never read.

All names have been changed to preserve anonymity.

Jayne's story

"Nothing will ever take the pain away," said Jayne.

Her daughter was one of the children Westwood abused.

The offending came to light when the girl confided in a family friend, some years after it began, that she had been abused by Westwood over a sustained period.

Jayne was alerted and then spoke to her daughter, asking her to write down everything that had happened.

"I felt sick reading what he'd done to her," Jayne said. "And it was a very long list."

She told the BBC: "He scared her into not being able to speak out so she carried this secret for a very long time."

From that point it took three years for the case to get to court, with Jayne calling every day "a living nightmare".

"It's a very long time to live that, day-in day-out, and it consumes you, [it] takes over the whole of your life."

As for her daughter, she said: "She can't eat, she can't sleep. Even to this day she wakes up having nightmares that he's at the bottom of her bed."

The revelation of Westwood's abuse has shaken the family, and even though he is behind bars, Jayne knows that no sentence will ever take away what he has done.

"The pain's there forever," she said.

"He boils my blood. I hate him."

Jayne - with her back to the camera - has told the BBC her daughter has nightmares that Westwood is at the bottom of her bed

Anna-Marie - 'It's crippled my life'

"He lost a video game and hit me over the head with an Xbox controller," Anna-Marie remembered of Westwood.

She was 17 at the time and he was her boyfriend, aged nearly 19.

His sentencing on Tuesday reflects his sexual assault of her along with his other crimes.

They met in the West Midlands after he sent her a direct message on Instagram. Dates followed.

Anna-Marie said she remembered her mother telling her to be careful about "love bombing" when Westwood bought her tickets to watch her dream West End show. They had been together for just two weeks.

"Until we moved in together, I'd say he was a bit arrogant but just a normal person seemingly," she said.

"But when we moved in, [the situation] was just escalating and escalating."

She told the BBC that police were called to Birmingham New Street railway station when he started shouting at her. She also described incidents where he had smashed drinking glasses and plates.

Then came the incident with the video game.

"He was telling my mom I needed to be committed to a psychiatric institution," Anna-Marie recalled. "He was telling me 'you need to be on medication, you're crazy'."

The couple separated.

Anna-Marie was later contacted by police as part of inquiries into the wider case and her sexual assault emerged to prosecutors.

She now suffers from anxiety and insomnia, and is on high-dose sleeping medication. "Otherwise I will literally have nightmares of him grabbing me and smiling," she said.

She added: "I feel afraid a lot of the time when I go to new cities, or even in my city.

"It's essentially crippled my life."

Westwood was convicted of 26 sexual offences, including rape

Elsie's story

About eight years ago, in an area of the West Midlands, Elsie was in a relationship with Westwood when she was 13 and he was 16.

They had started as friends with similar interests, but Elsie says the relationship quickly developed.

She told the BBC that after a few months, Westwood pressured her into sexual behaviour, sending her web links to content he would ask her to imitate with him.

"It definitely didn't feel normal," she said.

"However, the way that he was with me made me feel very secure, so I kind of thought 'I would trust this guy, why would he do anything to hurt me'?

But there was manipulation.

"He would say things to me like 'if you don't do it with me, people my own age will', and I didn't want to lose that connection with him because it was one I really relied on quite quickly.

"At 13, feeling you've lost your first ever relationship you've had - he was the first absolute everything for me – it was terrifying."

Elsie (back to the camera) told the BBC that Westwood pressured her into sexual behaviour when she was just 13

Elsie's experience, however, did not form part of the trial.

She said that when police became aware of the relationship - while it was still happening - and arrested him, Westwood reassured her it was just a "grey area in the law" and that they would both be fine.

The case did not continue, although it was reopened years later when other allegations about Westwood emerged, but the inquiry again did not proceed.

Elsie thought her experience would then form part of the case that was tried in December, but she said when she attended proceedings, she was told police had lost video evidence from when she was 13.

She also told the BBC a police officer in the court told the prosecution that Elsie had not wanted to bring charges against Westwood - which was not the case.

The claims were put to the West Midlands force which said it investigated an allegation against Westwood following a third party report that he had incited sexual activity with a child aged under 16.

"Unfortunately, due to a lack of forensic and digital evidence the report was filed," a spokesperson said, adding, however, "the investigation was re-opened in 2023 at the request of the CPS" which was reviewing charges against Westwood.

"We submitted a file to CPS and on review they decided they wouldn't be pursuing a charge for this case.

"CPS offered the victim a Right to Review, but this was declined."

Elsie says she is now left thinking constantly about the evidence that did get heard in court.

"I went in really not knowing what I would hear and it was worse than I could ever have actually imagined it would be," she said.

"I sat there and I don't think I will ever recover from hearing that, and what he's done to people."

Years after her relationship with Westwood, Elsie said she felt let down that authorities did not do more to help at the time.

"It's still always going to play on my mind, why didn't [my] school protect me more, why didn't people in my life close to me push to try to get things out of me, why didn't the police say 'look this is really quite serious' to me?

"The fact he's ever laid his hands on me makes me want to die. It's as simple as that.

"I could not be more disgusted by somebody if I tried. I think he's evil."

Westwood was jailed on Tuesday

'Ego shone through'

Jayne, Elsie, and Anna-Marie all told the BBC they believed Westwood's role as an actor had enabled his behaviour.

Jayne said: "He's used that to his own advantage to abuse several girls."

The three also spoke of Westwood's narcissism, with Elsie saying his "ego shone through" even while in the dock.

She said: "I think hearing the impact he's had on people he would actually probably quite like."

Jayne echoed the view, adding: "I think he appears to like the limelight. He likes the attention."

But amid that judgment, there is also praise - for the victims, for their bravery.

"I'm proud of [my daughter]," said Jayne.

"I'm proud of her for standing up to him, I'm proud of her for having the strength to go through court."