Housewife charged with indecent assault on boy

Tracey Whalin, a 33-year-old housewife, appeared in court yesterday accused of abducting a child and of indecently assaulting him.

The 33-year-old housewife, of Bilborough, Nottingham, was accused of indecently assaulting a male person under 16 between 1 April 1996 and 15 July 1997. A further charge read out at Nottingham magistrates' court alleged she took a child aged under 16 from the lawful control of his guardian on 14 July this year. Peter Nuthall, the stipendiary magistrate, granted bail to Ms Whalin, who was brought back from Florida on Wednesday, on condition she does not contact the child involved in the proceedings or his family, either by phone, letter or by visits.

She must live at a hostel, which was not named in court, and was told she cannot enter Nottinghamshire accept to answer her bail on 25 September. A further bail condition is that Ms Whalin, who has surrendered her passport to police, does not apply for another passport.