Private tutor Emily Drury, 26, from Mablethorpe, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years at Lincoln Crown Court after admitting multiple charges of sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy. Drury pleaded guilty to five counts, including one charge of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity and four charges of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a teenage boy. The abuse took place between May and June 2025, after Drury targeted the victim by offering to tutor him privately ahead of his exams.
Abuse of trust and manipulation
Prosecutor Amber Hobson told the court that Drury warned the boy, 'You can't tell anyone about this,' after the abuse began. The victim initially agreed but later confided in two friends, sending them a picture of Drury. Word soon reached the boy's school, and police were contacted.
During the investigation, the boy allowed police to examine his phone, where they found a message from Drury referring to a note and cash she had left him. The message read: 'I enjoy every piece of you. I don't know how to stop, or what this is. Here's £20 just in case…Your Em xoxo'.
Victim impact statement
A victim impact statement read during sentencing revealed the emotional toll on the boy. He recounted how Drury told him about her marriage, saying she and her husband 'didn't really talk, they weren't having sex and marriage wasn't what she expected.' He added: 'She treated me kindly, told me she was obsessed with me. She bought me clothes and made me feel better about myself. I trusted her and confided in her about some very personal things.'
The boy also described feeling judged and blamed, saying: 'I felt unable to simply be a child.' He explained his initial reluctance to report the abuse, stating: 'I was worried that people would not take me seriously because of my gender. I believed there was a stigma attached to being a male victim of sexual abuse, and that fear made it even harder to cope.' He concluded: 'I realised I had been manipulated. I was put into a situation where I was experiencing emotions and situations no child should have to experience.'
Sentencing and police response
Judge James House KC said only a custodial sentence was appropriate given the severity of the crimes. He told Drury: 'She was in a position of trust. She was the adult; he was the child. This was not simply a single indiscretion – that would have been bad enough.' Drury must serve at least half of her sentence before being considered for release. She was also given a sexual harm prevention order and a five-year restraining order, and will remain on the sex offenders' register for life.
Detective Constable Julie Jode of Lincolnshire Police called Drury's actions 'despicable,' stating: 'As an adult in a position of authority, she was expected to provide guidance, support, and protection. Instead, she used that position to target and manipulate someone who should have been able to trust her implicitly.' Jode added that the victim 'was forced to navigate an incredibly difficult and challenging period of his life while also facing the uncertainty of a lengthy criminal justice process. The fact that the offender delayed accepting responsibility only added to that ordeal.'
Police praised the boy's 'remarkable courage and resilience' in bringing Drury to justice, emphasising that 'gender is not a factor in how reports of sexual abuse are investigated.' Drury's defence barrister, Jeremy Janes, noted that she had hoped for a 'lifelong career,' which she has now lost, describing the relationship as 'uncharacteristic, fantastical, and unreal.' Character references from her parents and brother were submitted, with her husband and relatives in attendance.
