A 37-YEAR-OLD maths tutor who sexually abused a boy has been jailed for six years after his mum found “inappropriate” WhatsApp messages on his phone.
Holly Rouse-Sweeney travelled over 100 miles to meet the boy at his home in Nottinghamshire after tutoring him online.
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The private maths teacher then had sexual contact with him on several occasions despite being aware he was under the age of consent, a court heard.
Police were called in May 2023 when the boy’s mother found inappropriate WhatsApp messages on his phone.
Officers then discovered several incriminating diary entries on her laptop in which she acknowledged the abuse and even referenced the boy’s true age.
Rouse-Sweeney 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.
She had claimed that her actions had been influenced by a long-standing mental health condition.
Rouse-Sweeney, of Hebden Bridge, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court last Friday for sentencing.
As well as being jailed, she was added to the sex offenders’ register.
Rouse-Sweeney was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order which will tightly restrict her activities when she is released.
She was also handed a restraining order forbidding her from any future contact with her victim.
Detective Constable Keeley Bringhurst, a child abuse specialist at Notts 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.”
