Woman, 35, bursts into tears as she's jailed for grooming 12-year-old boy for sex

A 35-year-old woman burst into tears as she was jailed for five-and-a-half years after grooming a schoolboy for sex.

Jodie Delray was found guilty on 21 September of sexual assault and sexual activity with a child following a nine-day trial at Norwich Crown Court.

Her victim was aged just 12 when he was sexually abused by her, the court heard.

Delray, of Easthaugh Road, Lyng, had denied all offences and cried as her sentenced was handed down.

The court heard how she began the abuse by sexually assaulting the boy as a precursor to having full sex.

"Full sex began to occur, initiated by you," said Judge Anthony Bate, as reported by MailOnline. "These clandestine sex trysts continued for some time."

William Carter, prosecuting, said the offence was aggravated by the disparity between the ages of the boy and Delray.

Her defence said she was a vulnerable individual who suffered numerous health problems, including chronic fatigue syndrome.

"Custody for her will be all the more punishment for her. She is someone who will find it extremely difficult," Michael Clare, mitigating, said. He added that there was a very low risk of her re-offending.

Judge Bate accepted Delray was a woman of previous good character who had been spoken highly of in testimonials by friends and family.

But after being found guilty of six of nine counts by the jury, the judge said: "I can do nothing in this case other than my public duty."

He noted how the Appeal Court had previously stressed how underage boys are often "ill-equipped" to cope with a premature sexual experience.

On top of the jail sentence, Delray was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.