In 2026, a 64-year-old woman from Filey was sentenced to nine years and four months’ imprisonment at York Crown Court after grooming and repeatedly sexually abusing a teenage boy.
Tracy Bancroft, residing at Sycamore Avenue, Filey, appeared before the court for sentencing having entered guilty pleas to charges relating to the sexual abuse of the youth. Other charges on the indictment were ordered to lie on file.
Prosecutor Richard Walters outlined that Bancroft targeted the teenager, orchestrating the abuse through calculated grooming. Prior to the initial sexual assault, Bancroft provided the boy with a strong alcoholic mixture of rum and fruit juice. The prosecution explained that the victim possessed minimal sexual awareness at the time, was unable to comprehend the nature of what was occurring, and remained entirely frozen in shock during the attack.
The court heard that the victim kept the traumatic abuse secret for years. The offences only came to light after emergency services attended an incident where the young man had attempted to take his own life. Even after that disclosure, another full year elapsed before the victim felt able to provide a formal evidentiary statement to North Yorkshire Police.
The survivor’s mother provided testimony detailing the profound damage inflicted upon her son and their family. She described living with constant anxiety for his safety, having repeatedly intervened to prevent him from taking his own life. She further detailed how the sustained trauma had severely impaired his education, his mental wellbeing, and his prospects for maintaining steady employment, while noting that Bancroft had demonstrated no remorse for her actions.
The court was told that Bancroft had previously attempted self-harm on the eve of her scheduled trial in September 2025, which led to the proceedings being adjourned and relisted for trial in 2026 before she entered her guilty pleas.
Sentencing Bancroft, Judge Simon Hickey stated that there had clearly been an established pattern of grooming and that the abuse had been planned.
Judge Hickey imposed an immediate custodial sentence of nine years and four months’ imprisonment.
In addition to the prison term, the court issued a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order prohibiting Bancroft from contacting the victim directly or indirectly, banning her from posting about him on social media platforms, and restricting her from having unsupervised contact with any boy. Bancroft was also placed indefinitely on the Sex Offenders Register for life and barred indefinitely from working with children or vulnerable adults.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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