Evil mum tried to sell my virginity at 13 | Mazher Mahmood investigates

Girl thanks our man Mazher Mahmood for rescuing her from childhood drugs and porn hell

Sapphire with vile mum
VICTIM: Sapphire with vile mum
Our original story
EXPOSED: Our original story
CONVICTED: But no jail for evil Brown
CONVICTED: But no jail for evil Brown
SAFE: Sapphire today
SAFE: Sapphire today
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By Mazher Mahmood, Investigations Editor, 09/08/2009

A TEENAGER rescued from the clutches of her monster mother by the News of the World today tells the full shattering story of her depraved childhood for the first time.

Sapphire McFarlane was just 13-years-old when hooker and heroin addict mum Fleur Brown tried sell her virginity to a porn baron for £30,000.

But we were tipped off about Brown's sick plan, saved the youngster from her sordid fate and helped convict the woman dubbed Britain's Most Evil Mum.

Now, five years on, Sapphire, 18 - who can be named for the first time - has broken her silence to describe her sickening ordeal at porn actress Brown's hands - and reveal the repeated beatings and drug abuse that nearly destroyed her.

"It's only thanks to the News of the World I managed to survive - otherwise who knows what would have happened to me," says the shy teenager who has turned her life around away from the infuence of her vile mother.

"I was just a schoolkid when mum forced me to strip for a porn film maker," she says.

"She had me hooked on crack and cocaine by the age of 12. And I was only 13 when she tried to sell my virginity. But people don't know half of what I went through."

Even Sapphire's earliest memories are terrifying. The girl, who never knew her father, says: "I remember as a toddler seeing her inject herself with heroin and her eyeballs rolling in her sockets before she slumped in a corner, leaving me to fend for myself.

"I was so used to seeing my mum and her pals snorting lines of white powder off the kitchen table, I thought it was normal and all mums did that."

Then there was the violence. "She used to beat me regularly with a belt with a big buckle. I'd constantly be told to go to my room while she did drugs or entertained a stream of men."

Sleazy Brown - who also had a young son - was also a notorious porn star. She appeared in more than 200 movies and was proud of winning the 2003 European Gang Bang Trophy for having sex with 466 men on stage.

"There were always men turning up with a camera and lights at our house," says Sapphire. "Mum would send me and my brother upstairs to my room while they were making porn films downstairs. I was around six when I first saw pictures of her having sex with men in our house." Soon Brown was grooming her daughter to follow in her footsteps at their home in Heybridge, Essex.

"When I was 12 my mum said I was going with her to London to see a top American film producer who wanted to make a film about her life and I'd be playing her in her younger days.

"A stretch limo picked us up and I felt like a star. My mum wore a black micro-skirt and a skimpy black top and high heels. She made me wear identical tarty clothes."

But Sapphire's dreams were soon shattered. "We went to a pub to meet this bloke. My mum ordered a Jack Daniels and coke and told me to drink it. It was my first drink. The bloke was about 45 and nasty.

"We walked to his flat around the corner. There were cameras already set up. My mum went into the bedroom with him where they had sex and then came out naked. My mum got on her knees and performed a sex act in front of me. I was very scared.

"Then my mum got behind the camera and told me to strip off.

"When I was naked the man put me in various sex positions and simulated sex with me while my mum videoed it. It went on for a couple of hours."

Evil Brown also used the "screen test" to introduce her child to hard drugs. "After my mum had finished videoing, the man put lines of coke on the coffee table. They snorted lines through a McDonalds straw then mum asked me to do the same. I can still remember the burning feeling as the coke went up my nose and my mum saying 'good girl'. I felt dizzy and sick. We went home but the film thing was never discussed again."

As Brown got more heavily involved with crack cocaine and heroin, Sapphire's life became more miserable. "She was just off her head continuously," she says. "I hardly went to school because I had to look after my three-year-old brother, feed him and everything.

"And when she started working as a prostitute to pay for drugs, she would be out every night leaving us alone. My brother started calling me Mum."

Things really hit rock bottom when Brown found a new drug dealer boyfriend and moved in with him. "I stopped going to school and started living in a dingy crack den," Sapphire says. "My mum and her pals would be injecting heroin in the house in front of me and anyone who was there."

Then one day her mum made her take crack cocaine while out in the car with her junkie boyfriend. "She smoked a crack pipe then gave it to me. I coughed and spluttered and both she and her man laughed at me.

"My head felt like a balloon about to burst.".

Soon she was taking it at home. "I was addicted," confesses Sapphire. "My mum was pushing drugs onto me as if they were sweets."

Once her daughter was addicted to drugs Brown put her virginity up for sale. She rang a porn photographer to offer Sapphire as a child porn actress who would have sex with him for the first time on film.

That proposal was too shocking even for him - and he contacted the News of the World. We sent a reporter posing as a pervert willing to pay Brown the £30,000 on the photographer's behalf.

"Mum told me we were going to London because someone was going to pay to take my virginity," Sapphire recalls. "At that point I was high on crack and I was beyond caring."

At a London hotel meeting she paraded her little girl like a piece of meat, saying: "It's £30,000. The price is that she is losing her virginity to this guy. The money is hers but she'll make sure her mum's all right. I crashed my car so I need cash."

Brown even offered to join her daughter in a depraved threesome. "Obviously I don't want to do anything with her because it borders on incest," she said. "But I'm happy to watch and give him a b****** while she's there as well."

But when Brown turned up with Sapphire for her first night of sex she walked straight into police custody after we tipped off the law. She was given a two-year suspended sentence for facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Sapphire ended up in three different foster homes before finding a boyfriend, 19-year-old builder Jake Chatten, and moving into a flat with him. "Jake's mum is like my surrogate mum," she says. "I began to realise what a normal loving family is like and how evil my mum was. My life completely turned round.

"I gave up drugs and got five GCSEs. I am on a Spanish course and am training to be a translator on a Prince's Trust scheme." Her brother, now eight, lives with a relative and Sapphire keeps in touch. Brown has been granted permission by social services to visit him.

Sapphire lives a stone's throw from her mother who works as a barmaid. "I've met her once or twice over the last few years but she can't be bothered to build bridges," says Sapphire

"I am disgusted that she wasn't sent to jail. But what hurts most is that she has not once bothered to say sorry. She is a poor excuse for a mother."

* You can read more Mazher Mahmood exclusives by clicking on the related links above. If you know a scandal that Maz should expose call his team on 020 7782 4402 or email maz@notw.co.uk

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This article has 45 comments


have just read this sorry for all concerned

we read things like most of the time now where
children are abused in some way or other

times have not changed much from dicken's times
surpose to be law's ? what about social service's
all these charites well ? they all pass the buck

By david.. Posted October 3 2009 at 2:29 AM.

dont worry saf! ya a wicked gal and dt let any one bring u down! i love you xxx

By Jade .. Posted August 17 2009 at 12:47 PM.

There should be a license to have kids geeeez

By JoBCCan.. Posted August 14 2009 at 1:56 AM.

saint,wonderfull,ect,ect.some of the comments posted reguarding sapphire mcfarlane.well thats not the girl i knew.the foster home she stayed in in margate were great to her and she treated them with contempt.she was nothing but trouble and even lied to social workers about the people looking after her to get away to continue her wild life.some of that story is true the rest just made up for money.her kid brother was the one everone felt sorry for.

By john.. Posted August 12 2009 at 10:20 PM.

Sapphire, God is ur strength and guardian...wish u all d best in life.

By 2ndeY.. Posted August 12 2009 at 10:57 AM.

Dawn, I never realised this was your niece until I read this last night. I understand now.

This poor girl has been robbed of her childhood. There are some sick and twisted people out there, but you never expect to see it on your own doorstep.

Sapphire, I wish you all the happiness for the future and hope one day she'll get the punishment she so rightly deserves.

By Barney.. Posted August 10 2009 at 3:57 PM.

Poor babies.........justice system is an abomination

By sarah.. Posted August 10 2009 at 2:49 PM.

its disgusting !!!inglorious mom

By yakub kaplanoglu.. Posted August 10 2009 at 12:24 PM.

One day this young girl will have children of her own and then she will realise the enormity of her mother`s evil ways even more. It`s a shame that some kids go through such hell - caused by the very people who are supposed to protect them. The mother is obviously very sick in the head and i hope to god the little boy is being fully protected from her - god bless him. She should by rights be in prison and it`s a mystery why she`s not, but i suppose that`s the british justice system for you. Reassuring to hear that sapphire is happy with her new family - what a beautiful girl she is - thank god she was saved. I wish her all the luck and happiness in the world.
News of the world - you are our heros - i take my hat off to you. Please continue with the good work !

By LANA.. Posted August 10 2009 at 12:56 AM.

OMG!! You are a credit to your self and sud be soo proud....You have come through waht only some people will never no. I hope that you are able to move forward from this and enjoy your life now....x

By Marie.. Posted August 10 2009 at 12:45 AM.

I am shocked with the law its good that u have change ya life around. I do think its bad because she has got away with it onces what if she does it again!!!

By melanie.. Posted August 9 2009 at 10:38 PM.

i would just like to say thank you all to your comments and of course the news of the world once more thank you. x

By sapphire macfarlane.. Posted August 9 2009 at 9:00 PM.

Dawn, if this is your niece. please pass on how proud she should be of herself. her mother has no right to call such a wonderfull couragous young girl her daughter. she has been treated so bad and im glad she now knows how REAL familys love and look after each other. some are not so lucky x

By Lucy.. Posted August 9 2009 at 2:10 PM.

Im very proud of you Saph.
Proud to be your Aunti
it is a shame she never got locked up.
my childhood still haunts me of what she used to do to me.
love you babe well done

By dawn.. Posted August 9 2009 at 1:39 PM.

What is the matter with the UK justice system? What would this mother (and I use that term loosely) have to do in order to be put in jail? Come on UK, get some cojones, and start putting people like this away. You might even save some lives.

That being said. Sapphire has grown to be a smart, pretty young lady with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Much congrats and respect to her.

I have a 13-year-old daughter and I won't even let her date yet. The thought of someone doing this to her child is disgusting. Ms. Brown should be publicly ridiculed by everyong who goes to that bar where she works. Boycott the place.

Also, even though the porn photographer may be a shady character, he had more scruples than this woman obviously had. Smart move in this case.

By katee.. Posted August 9 2009 at 1:39 PM.

one hears of such things that i have just read but i never thought it really happens. i still find it difficult to get my head round what i have just read. also, i can't express in polite words my outrage at the pathetic piece of crap we call legal system. how can someone who has commited what is undoubtedly the greatest crime a parent can commit against her child to go scot free. i hope the judge will never find comfort and peace of mind because allowing her to walk free can never be justified. my final point goes to the British public. when are we going to rise up and begin to dictate to our legislators the kind of laws and punisnment the majority of us wants? we must stop screaming on websites anad newspaper columns and start voting in people whose sense of justice are in sync with ours. until then, crime such as the one here will happen again and again.

By karl schofield.. Posted August 9 2009 at 1:31 PM.

Sapphire you are a beautiful and intelligent young woman. I remember when this story first came out and to be honest, until now, I just thought that your mum was trying to trick dirty old men out of money and wasn't really going to prostitute you. Now I see that she genuinely was and she treated you horrifically and your childhood was so abnormal that where you are now and the fact that you can lead a normal life is an amazing recovery. I truly hope you are proud of yourself and never look back. Some parents are so far removed from reality they are simply not parents. Every child deserves one good loving carer - even if it isn't their natural parent - and you didn't even get that stability and basic human right. Unfortunately there are all too many children neglected and abused nowadays, especially as crack is such a destructive drug, and I hope for this reason, people reading this story will consider donating to a charity that protects children. I personally donate to the NSPCC becuase they 'rescued' Childline when it was going to be closed down and they have brought new legislation for the powers of the police to enter homes. Sapphire, you are amazing.

By Real.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:08 PM.

I think if the Porn Photographer had called the police first nothing would have come of it,no disrespect to the police but it would be hard to prove,this way the NOTW were able to verify the story then call the police in themselves and trap the mother.I think it was the right thing to do in the circumstances,also this way she is fully protected as it wasnt shoved under the carpet and her `mother` was publicly shown up to be the pervert and disgrace that she is.Good luck to the girl and well done for coming out of this a lovely decent person.

By wh.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:11 PM.

Congratulations to you Sapphire, what a beautful and courageous girl you are!!! You have had an amazing strength to get through what has happened and to build a good life for yourself. Dont ever let your mother bring you down!! You are an inspiration to us all!!!

By belle.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:13 PM.

wot a brave girl lets hope she has a better life now this sick bitch is out of her life

By mkike froment.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:20 PM.

I am lost for words! How could anyone do this to another human being, let alone their own daughter? There are some sick people in this world!

By Barry.. Posted August 9 2009 at 11:44 AM.

i have just finnished reading a book by martina cole its straight out of the pages...wow i hope peple blank the oldskank cause thats what she is...
great t hear that her daughter is going to be by far a better person in society than her nasty old haggard mother...haha
she thought she looked goos then..look at her now bloated old hag bag hoo haha every dog has its dag
sorry harsh but true words...

By mmfifi.. Posted August 9 2009 at 11:22 AM.

i am shocked at this story as i knew the family well when sapphire was a very small child, (she was a bridesmaid at my wedding) Her step-father and my husband at the time were best friends and there was nothing strange or horrid going on then although i was made aware her mother had been into all sorts when she was in her teenage years but had over come her issues, however we lost touch but i was told that her mother and step-father had divorced and the children had been left with there mother, i am just glad that both children are safe and well. Well done sapphire and good luck for the future, its just a shame they didn't lock her up

By amanda .. Posted August 9 2009 at 11:09 AM.

This is a shocking story, however i do agree that the issue of women involved in sexual abuse, does need more highlighting, as its a issue that is constantly attributed to men, I remember working with sex workers who plied there trade on the streets and the one thing i constantly heard was alot of these women being abused by other women

By winston walker.. Posted August 9 2009 at 10:20 AM.

Bless you Saphire, for making good of your life after such an awful start, lots of people have all the privaleges when they are young and make bad of their lives. Jake's mum, you are a good and kind person.

By sam.. Posted August 9 2009 at 10:40 AM.

Fantastic work. This is what the News of the World is about, not showbiz and tittle tattle. Huge respect to Maz who is simply the best in the business and well done to brave Sapphire!
And shame on the pathetic judge who let her mum walk. Would it have been the same sentence if it had been a man? What if her dad had done the same? Where is the justice.

By Jonathan.. Posted August 9 2009 at 9:14 AM.

there are a lot more women peado,s out there just because they are women shouldnt mean they should get away with it, they should be treated just the same. why the hell wasnt this women jailed and how the hell did she keep her kid,s and where was social services didnt anyone report her? what a life she and her sibling,s suffered. i so hope she has a happy life now she truely deserves it. she is very brave in coming out and hopefully doing this might help other,s who are suffering in silence to get help or any one with suspicions of people,neighbour,s friends treating there kids badly to report it. it can be anonomous. sorry abot spelling.

By paula.. Posted August 9 2009 at 9:17 AM.

ONE WORD:SHOCKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully Saphirre will do well now...hope u succeed in ur life!

By elnino.. Posted August 9 2009 at 9:06 AM.

As someone who comes from a very privileged background, with a very large and loving family, I was heartbroken when I read this story. Fristly lets start with the the best bit. This brave young woman who has been to hell and back can go on to do anything she wants to. She has shown so much courage and moral fibre that I am both humbled and uplifted by the way she has dealt with the horrors of her early life. Her "new" Mum seems to be a real diamond and this shows the great side of human nature. As for the evil cow who did these terrible things to a child, she should not be walking the streets (If you excuse the phrase). People like this should be kept away from the public, in jail or somewhwere they cannot spread their filthy ways. I have never been a religous man but feel that if there is a higher being this evil bitch will have to pay for her shocking crimes. Saphire have a great life. X

By Kevin Cassidy.. Posted August 9 2009 at 8:53 AM.

The prison system isn't a joke!
It is the judical system, that let this young girl down by not jailing her 'B***h of a mother' (Term used loosely) for a very long time. I am not a great fan of the Americans, but I do admire their sentencing of criminals.

By paul.. Posted August 9 2009 at 8:51 AM.


Whats shocking to me is that this young girl surrvived and had the will to make a better life for herself and brother...I wish her well .

She is right!! Thanx to Mazher Mahmood . she and her brother had a second chance at LIFE!.God only knows where she would be today if he hadnt stepped in!

As for the mum .... Hell will take care of her!!!

By zeba.. Posted August 9 2009 at 8:14 AM.

This young lady is a saint. And how she managed to get her act together after been subject to such cruel and appaling abuse is a miracle. If she were my own daugher I woud be the proudest father in the world. Well done, News of the World!

By JamesA.. Posted August 9 2009 at 4:43 AM.

One of the main reasons i read The Sun and News of the World, is their pro-active stand for justice. Whether its tracking down Gary Glitter on the Costa's, or fighting for justice after yet another judge fails to do their job. As someone said, the sentence should have been longer, but at least thanks to the NOTW, the woman was brought to court.

By Damo.. Posted August 9 2009 at 3:38 AM.

A two year suspended sentence? For almost ruining a child's life. What does it say about the value that is put on kids??

By dee.. Posted August 9 2009 at 1:34 AM.

All I can say is well done to the young girl, she got off drugs and away from her evil mother. I wish her all the luck and love in the world you have shown everyone that you are above all that stuff your mother was pushing onto you I hope you have a decent happy life xxxx And also good on you jakes mum, it takes someone special like you to help sapphire adjust to a normal life. I wish you all every happiness

By gilly.. Posted August 9 2009 at 1:19 AM.

What a lovely message from Jake's mum. How great that Sapphire finally has a loving family around her who appreciate her and care for her. Fantastic how she's managed to turn her life around. Her mum is a disgrace.

By Sophie.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:46 AM.

It is one of life's appalling realities that people become so brutalised and low from their addiction to drugs that they are able to commit such appalling crimes: victimising their children; using their children in ways unimaginable to the mentally healthy;stooping to the most self-abusive, unconscionably foul acts to keep themselves stoked; and, perhaps, equally pathetic is the self-delusional lying and justification that goes on....

It is truly a heartening thing to learn that there are young children, like this brave girl, who are able to witness such denigration of self and their mother:to suffer such brutal personal abuse and still manage to escape with great courage and fortitude.
The News of the World deserves sincere gratitude for the work done to ensure the rescue of this girl; and the exposure of the perpetrators of such cruelty. The fact that the mother was instrumental indeed central to this is shocking ,disturbing and salutary. When someone is a drug addict there is nothing spiritually and humanly to trust only too often.... Well done to all those who helped to bring about this happy outcome.

By susan galea .. Posted August 9 2009 at 1:00 AM.

I wish this young girl every happiness in the future. The story of her life is very sad & hopefully she finds so much happiness in the future & gains a great strength from her past, also that her brother does.

I think her mother should have served time in jail for putting her child through such an experience. I think the protection system in the UK/worldwide is absolutely dreadful & has been for a lifetime. They do not know how to care for children in bad homes, children suffer/get battered/abused & are not protected by the system. It has not changed from the past & makes me feel very angry. Why would anyone want to give a child up for adoption with such a poor child protection system? Unfortunately there are other sad options which I think are better so children don't go the dreadful system........., sadly that is my view that....

By Shock.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:10 AM.

The mother should have been jailed for a looooooooooooong time. I agree the justice system is a joke. I glad that the bloke had the good sence to call the police, nice to think that there are some men out there with some sort of decently otherwise this story could have had a very different ending. Good Luck Sapphire have a good and happy life.

By Lorna Wanstall.. Posted August 9 2009 at 12:13 AM.

What a fantastic story. Not the bits about Sapphire's odious ex mum, but how this young lady undid the worst childhood imaginable to become a success. Well done Sapphire. Your new mum's the real McCoy, your man's a diamond and you will be a great mum yourself one day, or PM, or rocket scientist or anything you set your mind to doing. You will have a brilliantly happy long life.

By robert.. Posted August 8 2009 at 11:25 PM.

I am jakes mum, If i had a daughter like sapphire i would be so proud of her, She is like a daughter to me. Considering what she has been through in her life, she has turned out a lovely young lady, Im proud to have her in my family

By sam chatten.. Posted August 8 2009 at 10:52 PM.

If you can not jail someone for this offence, I wonder why jails exist in Britain.

By Sarmad Qureshi.. Posted August 8 2009 at 10:50 PM.

The prison system is a joke!!

By ra8chel.. Posted August 8 2009 at 9:49 PM.

Wow, this story is shocking. There are some sick disturbed people out there. I'm glad she managed to turn her life around, she deserves it after everything that vile woman did to her.

By Catherine.. Posted August 8 2009 at 9:38 PM.

as a mum and nan i cant believe what i have just read,i'm shocked that any mother can treat her children in this evil way,you are a sick and nasty woman,vile beyond belief,there are far too many sick and twisted people out there who think it's fine to abuse children...I'TS NOT,the mental scars never leave them and suffer their whole lives whilst the sicko's who abuse carry on as normal,it has to stop,this government is more interested in crimes involving money than protecting children,jack straw was reluctant to release biggs,why?because he was not sorry!well mr straw child abuses are never sorry for their crimes but you still release them knowing full well they will carry on abusing children!!!!!!!

By paula.. Posted August 8 2009 at 9:06 PM.

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