Katie.com: One Girl's Loss of Innocence - Tapa dura

Aged thirteen Katie Tarbox, met "Mark" in a chat room on America Online. He said he was 23 and a college student in California; he recognised her "as someone different from a typical 13-year-old," she says. In his eyes, she seemed to be smart. Sophisticated. Mature. Within a month, their online relationship graduated to the phone, where he heard about her 14th birthday and listened to her play piano when her family wasn't home. He always supported and encouraged her. She was a top student and nationally ranked swimmer, but where most of the adults in her life - parents, coaches, teachers - told her to work harder and be better, he made her laugh. Eventually, he made her feel loved. After six months, Katie agreed to meet him on March 12, 1996, when she was in Texas with her swim team for a meet. He got a room at the hotel where Katie and her team-mates - as well as her mom, a chaperone - were staying. But when she went to his room to meet him, the man she thought was her cyber-soul mate turned out to be not Mark, 23, but Frank, a 41-year-old paedophile. Police came banging on the door after her roommate, who knew about the plans, panicked and told Katie's mom. Shunned by her parents called a slut by her classmates this was the beginning of a nightmare. Eventually, "Mark," (real name Frank) was the first person to be prosecuted for sexual harassment of a minor arising from a Web contact: "It's something many young girls can identify with, a search for someone who understands them and gives them affection, but it can also lead them into some dark, scary places,"

Katie first "met" 23-year-old Mark in a chat room on American Online. She was only 13, yet Mark recognised her as someone mature for her age. They arranged to meet at a swimming gala, but "Mark" turned out to be Frank, a 41-year-old paedophile. This is Katie's story.