Doctor Strange actress Zara Phythian could appeal her conviction of child sex charges.
Phythian, 37, and her husband Victor Marke, 59, were found guilty of 14 counts of sexual activity with a child, committed between 2005 and 2008, at Nottingham Crown Court earlier this month.
Phythian is now behind bars at the Foston Hall prison in Derbyshire where she is believed to have been placed in isolation.
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According to MailOnline, Phythian has been ‘sobbing down the phone to her father’, and her family members are convinced she’ll appeal her conviction.
The outlet also reports that concerns have been raised for Phythian’s health, meaning she’s now on hourly watch.
A family source told the paper: “She's in a really bad way and [has] been kept in isolation for her own safety before being moved to a single cell.
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“Guards are doing hourly checks on her because she has been close to a nervous breakdown.”
They added: “[He father] is desperate to see her but has to wait to get his visitors pass. She's been crying down the phone to him and is not in a good way.”
UNILAD has approached Foston Hall prison for comment.
During their hearing, Judge Mark Watson told Phythian and Marke: “It has been said that both of you present as impressive individuals, each with a long list of accomplishments.
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“You, Victor Marke, were somebody your students looked up to. You Zara Marke were also someone that was looked up to by those you taught.
“Most people have held you in high esteem. That is why you were able to groom the victims in this case and get away with it for so long.
“You groomed her and there was a significant disparity in your ages. Both of you exposed her to sex acts [...] at the time she was already vulnerable, in the sense she was young and had not gone through puberty.”
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Marke was also convicted of indecent assault charges relating to another under-age girl he abused on at least eight occasions between 2002 and 2003.
In April, a woman accused the couple of grooming and repeatedly sexually abusing her when she was just 13. During a police interview played to Nottingham Crown Court, the woman claimed that on one occasion, Phythian gave her alcohol and encouraged her to perform oral sex on Marke, who then had sex with both of them.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also alleged she was 'coached' by Phythian to ‘get better at sex’ and estimated she had sex with Marke around 20 times between the ages of 13 and 15.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
Aisha Nozari