School teacher Rebecca Joynes who had sex with two teenage boys, and had a baby with one of them, has been found guilty of a string of sex offences.
Rebecca Joynes was already suspended from her high school job and on bail for alleged sexual activity with one 15-year-old boy when she allegedly took the virginity of a second boy, known as boy B, 16, who she later became pregnant by. Neither teenager can be identified.
Today a jury at Manchester Crown Court found the teacher guilty of six counts of sexual activity with a child, including two while being a person in a position of trust. She will be sentenced at a later date.
The court had previously heard how the teacher had a baby with one of the teenagers, which was taken away from her just hours after giving birth. She now sees the child just three times a week. Joynes was also accused of a “naked attempt to garner sympathy” from the jury by having a pink baby’s bonnet visibly tucked into her trousers during her appearances in court.
Earlier this week, one mum told the court of the moment she found "love bites" on her 15-year-old son's neck after he spent a night at Joynes' flat. Manchester Crown Court heard Joynes groomed Boy A by buying him a £345 Gucci designer belt, before taking him to her flat in Salford, Greater Manchester, where they allegedly had sex twice. Prosecutors said this amounted to "grooming." During one sexual encounter, Joynes is said to have told Boy A 'no one had better find out' as she took her clothes off.
She has been granted bail until she faces sentencing on July 4. Judge Kate Cornell told Joynes: "There is a baby involved here who has done nothing wrong - you must be under no illusions on what is going to happen. Bail can be granted on the same conditions as before". Joynes began crying as she was granted bail.
Joynes allegedly planned a "date night" with 16-year-old Boy B that involved an Ann Summers sex game, rose petals and hidden notes around the flat. The court heard Boy B had called her a "paedo" during a row, and told her to find someone her own age, before it was said he gave in to emotional pressure from Joynes to keep the relationship going.
Joynes has admitted chatting with 15-year-old boy A after she gave him nine digits of her number and he guessed the other two. Boy B also sent her Snapchat messages. In both cases, the activity was a secret from their parents and they both flirted with her.
Boy A called her "sexy", and boy B, sent her a message saying, "Get your **** out." When asked about whether she should have talked to the boys on Snapchat, Joynes replied: “Absolutely not, as a professional teacher I should have never engaged in that. I have to take accountability for that.”
During closing speeches Joe Allman, prosecuting, said: “She’s aware of the optics here. She’s not stupid. Is Miss Joynes more shrewd than she lets on?” Jurors heard both boys sent her flirty Snapchat messages before boy A was taken shopping, bought a £350 Gucci belt and went back to her flat on Salford Quays where they had sex, with his semen later recovered from her bedsheets by police.
Boy B claims sexual activity began when he was 15 with kissing, and full sex when he was 16 and while he was still a pupil. Joynes claimed no sexual activity ever took place with boy A and a relationship developed with boy B while she was suspended from her job and only became sexual after she was dismissed and he had left school at 16, so no offence had taken place.
In one alleged sexual encounter, Boy A said he sat on the edge of the bed and the pair started to kiss. He continued: "She took her jacket off and took her stuff off. As she was getting undressed she said, 'No one had better find out'." The boy said they had oral sex, adding: "she said, 'how do you want to do it then?"', before Joynes got on all fours on the bed, the court heard. Boy A said he took a shower and they remained in bed for a couple of hours before he suggested more sex.
Prosecutor Mr Allman had asked the jury of seven men and five women to imagine “Robert”, a fictitious 28-year-old teacher just out of a nine-year relationship who was lonely, good-looking, and who schoolgirls pay a lot of attention to, flatter and make inappropriate comments to. The prosecutor outlined a scenario where the male teacher exchanges Snapchat messages, buys one girl a £350 belt and takes her back to his flat, while a second teenager falls pregnant to “Robert”.
“Are you in any doubt about what’s happened here?” Mr Allman said. “You would not have one shred of sympathy for Robert. This thought experiment drags Miss Joynes’ defence into the light.”
Earlier, Joynes told the jury she had ruined her “dream job” with stupid “mistakes” by meeting up with the two teenagers and having them back at her flat, but denied under-age sex. Both boys were 15 when Joynes began taking each one into her flat and both had been communicating with her on Snapchat – where messages are deleted and not recoverable by police.
In both cases, the activity was a secret from their parents. Joynes admitted she had split after a nine-year relationship, was lonely and flattered by the attention. In a letter, she wrote to boy B, saying: “Every inch of you is perfect. You are all I ever dream about.”
Joynes said boy B contacted her to see how she was and, as she was lonely, she liked the attention and a friendship grew. They would go for walks and he would visit her flat, as she preferred staying in her apartment in Salford rather than with her parents on the Wirral.
Joynes said: “Speaking to my family, I had made mistakes, I had basically ruined my chances with my dream job.” Mr Allman said Joynes had a supportive family, a sister and a best friend back home, but instead chose the company of a 15-year-old boy in Salford.
The defendant maintained the relationship only became sexual after she was no longer a teacher but that soured and she claimed boy B became “controlling”. Mr Allman said: “Let’s look at the reality of the situation. You were 29, living in a flat, had a good income, drove an Audi A1.
“He was a child, you were an adult. He was a pupil, you were a teacher. He lived with his mum and dad, they were not supposed to know about your liaisons with him. Who was controlling who?”
Jurors heard Joynes and boy B rowed and could not decide on whether to keep the baby or have an abortion. She denied six counts of sexual activity with a child, including two while being a person in a position of trust.
Speaking after the verdict, Jane Wilson, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Rebecca Joynes is a sexual predator. Joynes was entrusted with the responsibility of teaching and safeguarding children. She abused her position to groom and ultimately sexually exploit schoolboys. Her behaviour has had a lasting impact on them.
“The CPS worked with Greater Manchester Police to build a strong case to put before the jury, including eyewitness testimony, phone evidence showing the messages sent by Joynes and CCTV footage. I would like to thank the victims for supporting the prosecution. Joynes will now face the consequences of her actions.”