NICOLA WARD/CHERRETT, FEMALE CHILD ABUSER, REMAINS IN PRISON IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

In December 2017, Nicola Ward, now known by the surname Cherrett, was released from custody. She was previously held at HMP Foton Hall.

In July 2017, she adopted the surname Cherrett and was still incarcerated at HMP Foton Hall.

Back in April 2014, Ward, a 34-year-old woman from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, was sentenced to eight years in prison for her crimes involving a teenage boy. The victim, now 16, recounted his three-year ordeal at the hands of Ward, describing her as initially charming and articulate. He said, “She was funny and intelligent. She used all these posh words and came across as really well spoken. But she’d switch after she had a drink or took drugs. She became a different person.”

The abuse began when the boy was only 12 years old. Ward, who would often give him cocaine, performed sexual acts on him, and steadily coercing him into further sexual activity. The victim explained, “It was the start of a campaign in which she would corner the lad and coerce him into sex acts.”

Ward was arrested in April of the same year following suspicions raised by the boy’s father. She admitted to engaging in sexual activity with a child and supplying drugs, resulting in her imprisonment. She was sentenced by Nottingham Crown Court and jailed for eight years.

Initially sent to Peterborough Prison, Ward is now among an estimated 100 female child abusers currently incarcerated. In July, she was transferred to a low-security psychiatric facility.

Her victim continues to receive therapy to help him cope with the trauma. He expressed his feelings, stating, “I never thought a woman was capable of something like this. It’s ruined my trust in everyone. It’s made me fearful of women. But she’s in the gutter where she belongs and I won’t let her ruin my life.”

Ward is subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) indefinitely, which includes two restrictions: she is not permitted to live in a household with a child under 18 and is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with a child under 16. Additionally, in September 2016, she was banned from Nottinghamshire through a court order and placed under restrictions by the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA).