A PRIVATE maths tutor who sexually abused a vulnerable teenage boy has been jailed.
Holly Rouse-Sweeney, 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.
“This was an appalling breach of trust by a woman who had been trusted to spend time with a vulnerable child,” said Detective Constable Keeley Bringhurst of Nottinghamshire Police.
Diary entries
Police were called in May 2023 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 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 had claimed that her actions had been influenced by a long-standing mental health condition.
‘Cynically took advantage’
Rouse-Sweeney, of Hebden Bridge, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, August 9, and was jailed for six years.
She was added to the sex offenders’ register and made the subjection of a sexual harm prevention order, which will tightly restrict her activities when she is released.
Rouse-Sweeney was also handed a restraining order forbidding her from any future contact with her victim.
“Instead of teaching him mathematics she cynically took advantage of him for her own sexual gratification,” said DC Bringhurst.
“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.”