Disgraced British reality TV star Andrew Bennett was jailed on Thursday for sexually assaulting a teenage boy last year.
The 47-year-old, best known for starring in the popular British reality TV show “Gogglebox”, pleaded guilty One charge of engaging in sexual activity with a child, and two charges of sexual activity with a child.
Bennett was sentenced to 29 months in prison during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday, according to a press release from the Crown Prosecution Service.
The court heard how the embarrassed reality star took pictures with her teenage victim before laying her on the couch and dropping a hickey on her neck. According to the BBC News report, he then took the teenager to the bedroom for sex.
Bennett, who lives in Sunderland, was ordered to sign the register of sex offenders. She is also under a restraining order for five years and must comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.
Prosecutor Glen Gatland said Bennett told the teen he was gay, before asking if he was a victim. As reported by BBC News, the victim responded by saying that he was not.
Gatland told the court, “The defendant again began to put his hands under his pants and then told her to turn away from him and start kissing her on the back of his neck.”
Senior Crown Prosecutor Andrew Jones said in a press release that Bennett “denied touching his victim” during his first interview with police.
He claimed to have “only talked to the boy at the time of the alleged attacks, but then claimed that his behavior was influenced by the slimming tablet when he was shown further physical evidence,” Jones said.
“Bennett carried out these attacks in a selfish pursuit of his own sexual gratification and the effect on this boy has been significant,” concluded Jones.
Bennett appeared on season 12 of the reality TV show in 2018. The show documents the reactions of individual families across the UK as they watch the past week’s television from their homes.
A representative for “Gogglebox” declined to comment.