Crown court cases: Hebden Bridge tutor jailed for six years after abusing teenage boy
A Hebden Bridge maths tutor who sexually abused a teenage boy has been sent to prison.
Holly Rouse-Sweeney, aged 37, tutored the boy online before organising to meet him at her former Nottinghamshire home.
She then had sexual contact with him on several occasions – despite being aware he was under the age of consent, said Nottinghamshire Police.
They were called in May last year when the boy’s mother found inappropriate WhatsApp messages on his phone.
After Rouse-Sweeney was arrested, officers found several "incriminating” diary entries on her laptop in which police say she detailed the abuse and even referenced the boy’s true age.
She later pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a boy and four counts of causing a boy to engage in sexual activity.
Rouse-Sweeney appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (August 9) and was jailed for six years.
She was also added to the sex offenders’ register, made the subjection of a sexual harm prevention order and handed a restraining order forbidding her from any future contact with her victim.
Rouse-Sweeney claimed that her actions had been influenced by a long-standing mental health condition.
Detective Constable Keeley Bringhurst, a child abuse specialist at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was an appalling breach of trust by a woman who had been trusted to spend time with a vulnerable child.
“Instead of teaching him mathematics she cynically took advantage of him for her own sexual gratification.
“I know this abuse has had a significant impact on the victim and his family and I hope they will be comforted by this very strong sentence.”