Isobel Murphy, a 46-year-old woman from Belfast, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in her home in 2021.
Murphy pleaded guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of sexual communication with a child.
The abuse took place in May and June 2021 when Murphy was 44 years old. The boy reported the abuse to the police in June 2021, and an investigation revealed explicit text messages, Snapchat messages, and even a video of Murphy performing a sexual act sent to the victim. Murphy was sentenced to 27 months in prison, with half of the sentence to be served in prison and the other half on license.
She was also given a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. The judge described her actions as grooming and manipulative behavior and acknowledged the psychological harm inflicted on the victim.
The victim's family expressed disappointment in the length of the sentence and noted the impact on the child's mental health.