School matron who abused boy aged 12 gets jail
She made him go to her room at night
A SCHOOL matron who abused her position of trust and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old boy over a period of six months at a North Yorkshire school has been jailed.
Susan Mary Bramwell, 58, groomed the boy by getting him to go to her room at night when she worked at a school in Ripon in the 1980s.
Bramwell, known by her maiden name Ackernley, has now been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of gross indecency and two counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14.
The victim bravely plucked up courage in 2000 to tell his wife about what had happened.
He had previously only confided what had gone on to a small number of close friends and family members.
He contacted North Yorkshire Police in February 2019 to report what had happened after reading a news report about a similar case.
He decided to make a formal
complaint a year later, which instigated a detailed inquiry by North Yorkshire Police’s Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team led by Detective Constable Ali Morris. Bramwell was arrested at her home in Cumbria on April 24 and subsequently charged. She appeared at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on August 22 and the case was transferred to York Crown Court.
Detective Constable Morris said: “I have nothing but praise and respect for the victim in this case.
“He bravely sought justice for the terrible experiences he was forced into 37 years ago by Susan Bramwell – or Susan Ackernley as she was known at the time.
“She not only abused her position of trust as a school matron, she systematically groomed a vulnerable young child for her own sexual gratification.
“It resulted in self-harm at the time and a lifetime of emotional turmoil for the victim.
“Bramwell is now facing up to the consequences of her sickening actions.
“This case demonstrates once again that it is never too late to report child abuse and secure justice.
“North Yorkshire Police’s NonRecent Abuse Investigation Team is equipped to provide the essential care and support to victims, no matter when they were subjected to the abuse.”