Teacher jailed over weekend of unprotected sex with boy, 15

Kevin Heverin, 34, from Winterton, North Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to taking part in sexual activity with the boy during a weekend at his home.

Heverin also admitted a charge of grooming after swapping text messages containing sexually explicit photographs with the teenager.

Sentencing Heverin at Grimsby Crown Court yesterday, Judge David Tremberg told him: “Matters in this indictment represent a serious and persistent breach of trust which you could have and should have avoided.”

Judge Tremberg sentenced Heverin to 28 months for each of six counts of sexual activity with a child and 12 months to run concurrently for the count of grooming.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years, banned from working with children and given a 10-year sexual offences prevention order.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told the court the boy, who was aged 15 years and 10 months at the time of the offences, developed a crush on Heverin and made contact with him online.

Over the course of the next week the pair exchanged text messages which became sexual in content.

Mr Evans said the defendant had asked the boy when he turned 16, but the teenager told him he did not want to wait and they arranged for him to stay at Heverin’s home for a weekend.

The barrister said: “They slept in the same bed together, they showered together, they had unprotected sex.”

Mr Evans added the boy told police all sexual activity between the pair was consensual and had often been instigated by him.

On the weekend the offences took place, the boy had told his mother he was staying at a friend’s house.

But his mother contacted police after she found out he was actually with Heverin and discovered the explicit photographs on his mobile phone.

In mitigation, Richard Lunn told the court Heverin had given up most of his social and family life for his career but became depressed when he felt he was being sidelined at work.

He said the offences were committed against this background, but added that Heverin had not coerced the boy at any point.

“This defendant was flattered and made what can only be described as a gross error of judgment that will mar him for the rest of his life,” Mr Lunn said.

“He knows he’s thrown 16 to 20 years of his life away.”

Speaking after the hearing, Det Con Tony Wilkinson, of Humberside Police, said: “I think it’s a strong sentence that’s been handed down and it goes some way to showing that persons who do abuse their position of trust, justice will be brought against them.”

The portfolio holder for people services at North East Lincolnshire Council, Coun Ian Lindley, said yesterday: “This matter was dealt with in accordance with staffing policies and procedures.

“Whilst we are unable to comment further on individual cases we confirm that the local authority takes the safety and welfare of every child in the borough very seriously.

“We aim to work with our partners to ensure that every child is kept safe from significant harm and to ensure that the continuing risk and impact of harm is minimised.”