Maths tutor jailed for sexually abusing boy

Holly Rouse-Sweeney, from Hebden Bridge, arranged to meet the teenager after teaching him online

Author: Liam ArrowsmithPublished 13th Aug 2024

A maths tutor from Hebden Bridge has been jailed after admitting sexually abusing a teenage boy she taught online.

Holly Rouse-Sweeney, 37, arranged to meet the boy at her former home in Nottinghamshire.

Police said she then had sexual contact with him on several occasions, despite knowing he was under age.

Rouse-Sweeney was arrested after the boy's mother discovered inappropriate WhatsApp messages on his phone.

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.

As well as being jailed for six years, she has been added to the sex offenders' register and handed a sexual harm prevention order.

Rouse-Sweeney had 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.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.