Child molester who sexually abused a girl before changing his name to ‘Natalie’ is jailed after claiming jury was hypnotised

A child molester who sexually assaulted a teenage girl before becoming ‘Natalie’ has bizarrely claimed the jury returned a guilty verdict simply because they were hypnotised.

Natalie Wolf, formerly known as Ryan Haley, addressed the victim in court, saying the defendant would always be considered a man to her.

The defendant, now 47, groped the woman as a teenager and left her there for fear she would be raped in a sickening attack.

Newcastle Crown Court heard she kept quiet about the horrific incident in Washington, Tyne and Wear, but found the courage to report it years later as an adult.

Wolf, who now lives in Byker, Newcastle, denied having sex with a child but was convicted by a jury at trial and has now been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison with a life sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

Wolf claims his conviction was the result of a conspiracy that involved the ‘hypnotization’ of the jury, police and lawyers.

The victim courageously read her impact statement in court at the sentencing hearing and said: ‘I am doing this not only for myself, but for all the children and women who are sexually abused by men.

‘Ryan Haley wants everyone to know her as Natalie Wolf, but to me, that Ryan Haley is the man who sexually assaulted me.’

Wolf, who now lives in Byker, Newcastle, denied having sex with a child but was convicted by a jury at trial and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison with a life sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

The woman said she felt ’embarrassment and self-doubt’ following her ordeal and that her body felt like a ‘battlefield’.

She added: ‘Watching them celebrate their lives, their bodies and their choices feels like adding salt to my wounds.’

Addressing the defendant, the victim said: ‘Ryan, you destroyed me as a child, I kept this inside for many years until I was strong enough to report it.

‘Today I have the chance to read my victim statement in court. Today I have the chance to read my victim statement in court, today I will finally get the justice I have been waiting for.

‘Today Ryan Haley you will get what you deserve.’

Wolf, who represented himself at the hearing, said the victim was ‘lying through her teeth’ and complained that she had been assaulted while incarcerated at Durham Prison, a men’s prison.

Judge Gavin Doig told Wolf: ‘It is clear that you believe you are the victim of a conspiracy involving the courts, the prison service, the solicitors on the case, your solicitor, the police, your family and a number of other people.

‘In your notes, which I have read, many of which I won’t repeat, you make allegations that someone hypnotized the jury or that the jury was rigged by people to ensure your conviction.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Wolf claimed his conviction was the result of a conspiracy that involved the ‘hypnotisation’ of the jury, police and lawyers.

‘You suggest that the victim may have hypnotized the police officer during a video call.

‘I want you to understand, you are not the victim of a conspiracy, you are definitely not a victim.’

The judge added that Wolf showed ‘no remorse whatsoever’ and said: ‘I invite you to spend the time you spend in custody thinking about your behavior, the behavior that has led to you being in prison now.’

Judge Doig paid tribute to the victim and said it was ‘not easy’ to come forward and make a complaint.

At the end of the hearing, Wolf requested to be released pending appeal.

The judge invited the defendant to seek legal advice and added: ‘You will not be granted bail until the appeal is over.’