Former teaching assistant jailed for sexually abusing 10 year old boy
Denise Povall from Ripon faces eight years in prison
Last updated 8th Jun 2024
A former primary school teaching assistant, from Ripon, is starting an eight year jail term for the sexual abuse of a boy who was just ten at the time.
It happened at a Harrogate District school in the early 2000s.
Denise Povall - who is now 61 - groomed her victim buying gifts and sending text messages so she could carry out a campaign of sexual exploitation.
The victim spoke to North Yorkshire Police as an adult.
During police interviews, Povall point-blank denied any offences had taken place.
However, detectives in North Yorkshire Police’s Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team compiled a case that resulted in her being charged with a number of serious offences including grooming, inciting sex with a child, inciting sexual activity with a child and sexual assault by touching.
She continued to deny all the offences by pleading not guilty, but a jury at York Crown Court found her guilty of all charges during a trial.
A judge at the same court, on Friday (7th June) sentenced her to eight years in prison and ordered her to sign the sex offenders’ register on her release.
Detective Constable Alison Morris, who led the investigation for North Yorkshire Police, said: "This has been a long and extensive investigation into some of the most serious types of offences we encounter as detectives.
"What we uncovered can only be described as evil and sustained sexual abuse of a young child by a paedophile.
"Povall has taken absolutely no accountability for the damage she has done to her victim’s life, so I’m glad we’ve been able to help the victim secure some sort of closure.
"He’s been incredibly brave coming forward, especially given the common misconception that women don’t commit these sort of crimes.
"Due to the way paedophiles such as Povall groom, manipulate and control their victims, we know child sexual abuse is under-reported.
"So I want anyone who thinks they may have been sexually assaulted – no matter how long ago it happened – to know they can come forward. We have specially-trained officers and we work with organisations that provide excellent practical and emotional support."