HANNAH GRICE FROM CANNOCK SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH TEENAGE BOY IN STAFFORDSHIRE

In August 2005, a primary school teacher from Cannock, Staffordshire, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after admitting to engaging in a sexual relationship with a teenage boy. Hannah Grice, aged 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault involving the boy, who was 14 and 15 years old at the time of the offenses.

During the sentencing at Stafford Crown Court, Judge John Shand emphasized the gravity of her actions, highlighting her breach of trust as a professional and as a mother-of-two. The judge stated, "Cases such as this are made worse by the fact that you were a member of the teaching profession," underscoring the betrayal involved in her misconduct.

In addition to her prison sentence, Hannah Grice was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, a measure intended to monitor her conduct and protect the community.

The court heard that the relationship between Grice and the teenage boy developed after he reportedly developed a 'schoolboy crush' on her in March 2003. Prosecutor Simon Rippon detailed how their interactions escalated from innocent gestures such as hugging and kissing to more serious acts of intimacy at Grice’s home, where she lived with her husband, Mike, and their two daughters.

It was revealed that the boy maintained contact with Grice through text messages and emails, with communication occurring up to four times weekly until May 2004. The court was informed that the relationship eventually became public knowledge, confirming suspicions held by others, which led to Grice’s arrest the following month.

Defense lawyer Stephen Bayley argued that his client deserved a suspended sentence, emphasizing her remorse and the steps she had taken since the incident, including moving house and resigning from her teaching position in Etchington, Staffordshire. Bayley described her as feeling "constant and deep regret" for her actions.

Outside the court, the mother of the victim expressed her strong disapproval, stating, "Prison’s the best place for her. She was actively pursuing my son. This was the biggest breach of trust imaginable."

Meanwhile, Hannah Grice’s husband, 34-year-old Mike Grice, expressed his unwavering support for his wife, asserting, "I stood at the altar with my wife and said, ‘In sickness and in health and for better or for worse’. I will stand by those vows I took." He, along with his father-in-law, Trevor Pyke, aged 61, questioned the credibility of the allegations, dismissing the boy’s claims as "schoolboy fantasies" and criticizing the prosecution for relying solely on the boy’s account.

Mike Grice also expressed concern about the impact of the case on his family, particularly his children. He lamented, "The difficult thing for me has been the effect it has had on my children. I’m a family man and the most difficult thing for me is going back to explain to my daughters, one of whose birthdays is next week, why her mum is not going to be there."