A CHARITY has praised a teenage boy for “speaking out” after he was groomed and sexually abused by a woman.
Carole Taylor, from Eastbourne, was 32 when she began grooming a “vulnerable” 15-year-old boy via mobile phone messages.
After several weeks, the pair met and had sex on two occasions.
Taylor, now 35, was convicted of two counts of sexual activity of a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming and sexual communication with a child.
After a six-day trial, she was sentenced to five years in prison.
A National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) spokesman said the child showed “courage” in speaking out against the abuse he suffered.
“Taylor held the safety and wellbeing of this teenage boy in contempt when she groomed and sexually abused him,” he said.
“However, thanks to his courage in speaking out against his abuser, Taylor is now facing the consequences of her actions.
“Sexual abuse can have a devastating effect on the life of a child which can last long into adulthood, and it is of the utmost importance that anyone who has concerns about a child's welfare speaks out so that they can be protected.”
Taylor, of Seaside Road, Eastbourne, will also be a registered sex offender for life.
Detective Sergeant Michaela Haddock, of the East Sussex safeguarding investigations unit, said the teenagers “extraordinary bravery” in providing evidence helped convict Taylor.
“The court heard that she had a sexual relationship with a highly vulnerably 15-year-old boy who was known to her,” she said.
“This was a distressing case in which this boy was groomed and sexually exploited by somebody who he looked up to and felt that he could trust.
“His extraordinary bravery in providing evidence in this case is admirable and no doubt played a vital part in the jury returning the unanimous verdict that they did.
"The sentence reflects the seriousness of the irreparable impact that Taylor’s behaviour has had on this child, but I hope that it will now allow him to move forward positively with his life.
"All reports of the abuse of children are taken extremely seriously and anyone with information about any such offending can contact us at any time and arrange to talk in confidence to our investigators."
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