'Perverse' woman jailed for having sex with schoolboy twice at her home

4 May 2022, 11:24 | Updated: 4 May 2022, 11:45

A woman has been jailed for having sex with a schoolboy twice at her home.

Laura Stephenson, 28, from Rotherham, exchanged "flirty" text messages with the 15-year-old before having sex with him while her boyfriend was away.

Police said during her interview she admitted the pair had sex in 2018 but argued it was consensual and, although she felt guilty, tried to blame her victim.

Her victim suffered mental health issues and told his GP about the abuse, South Yorkshire Police added.

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Investigating Officer, Natalie Duffy, said: "Stephenson claimed she knew her actions were wrong due to the boy's age, but this wasn't enough to stop her, and instead she presented a number of excuses for her perverse actions.

"She exploited a family's trust in her and I'm thankful that this is reflected in her receiving a custodial sentence and being placed on the register."

Stephenson admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child.

She was jailed for 21 months at Sheffield Crown Court and and put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

IO Duffy added: "I would like to praise the victim for the tremendous courage he has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Abuse like this can have life-long, damaging impacts for victims."

Stephenson was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to pay victim costs of £140.