6th Jul 2024

Female Teacher convicted of having sex with pupils

Rebecca Joynes, 30, who taught at a Manchester High school has been jailed for sexual offences against two pupils at the school where she worked.  She was convicted of sexual activity with a child x4 and sexual activity with a child by a person of trust x2.

Joynes joined the school in 2018, as part of the Teach First teacher recruitment scheme after studying for a sports and exercise science degree.  She said she was 28, had undergone a messy break-up after the end of a nine-year relationship, struggled during the Covid pandemic, and was lonely when she became “flattered” by the attention of teenage schoolboys.

Joynes was jailed for six and a half years. She was also made subject to notification requirements as a registered sex offender for life, Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, plus a restraining order in relation to both boys.

Joynes gave one of the boys she taught some of the digits of her phone number.  He guessed the rest and they started texting each other.  Joynes reciprocated and on 5 October 2021 she arranged for the 15-year-old boy to stay overnight at her home.  Joynes then took him to the Trafford Centre where she bought him a £345 belt. They then returned to her flat and engaged in sexual intercourse.

The police were informed and Joynes was arrested.  She gave a no comment police interview.  However, Joynes was charged with sexual activity with a child and suspended from her teaching job.

Whilst Joynes was suspended and on bail in respect of those offences, she targeted a second 15-year-old boy.  The pair engaged in a sexual relationship, which only ended when Joynes was arrested.  Tragically for all concerned Joynes was pregnant and her baby taken from her as Joynes begins her prison sentence.

Joynes claimed there was no sexual contact between her and the first schoolboy and that although she had sex with the second boy he was 16 at the time and by then she had been dismissed from her job so could not be guilty of an abuse of trust. 

However, a jury found her guilty of six sexual offences against the two boys following a nine-day trial at Manchester Crown Court in May.

Following conviction and at the sentencing hearing a powerful victim impact statement from one of the victims was read out in court:-

“I struggled to come to terms with my abuse, I was completely in denial. I subsequently held back and did not fully open up to people. For reference, Rebecca was in my head that much. I would argue until I was blue in the face protecting her and would not hear a bad word against her. I felt as so I had betrayed someone I love and had done wrong by giving evidence. I felt a large sense of guilt for a long time.

I questioned if I was right to give statements about the woman who was carrying my child, since then I have replayed a lot of things in my head, and spoken to a lot of people, and it has made me realise the full extent of the abuse carried out on me and the tactics that were used to do so.

I was coerced, controlled, manipulated, sexually abused, and mentally abused. It is very upsetting that this has happened to me. The months after the abuse happened to me, was a very dark time, I felt backed into a corner. I had just lived a double life for 18 months behind my family’s back.

This had a massive mental toll over me and my family. It tore my family apart, they struggled to come to terms with the fact they sent me to school, where they believed it to be a safe environment, and this happened as a result. I attended school regularly and left with straight A's".

My parents broke down every day and night trying to get me to speak, I held many things back. I thought I would be better off dealing with things alone, as it is a rare case and not very relatable to others.

One of the hardest things I had to deal with in this time was not being able to be involved in the pregnancy. Social services contacted me in October and told me that Rebecca had refused to let them update me about anything including, due date, gender, health updates. The thought of not being able to see my child was heartbreaking.

I now also really struggle with the idea of going into another relationship, due to the negative experience I have gone through with Rebecca. Ultimately, I will forever be Rebecca‘s victim and forever linked to her through our child.”

Jane Wilson, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "Rebecca Joynes was in a position of trust as a high school teacher:-

"She abused her position to groom and exploit two schoolboys in the worst way, with no thought for the lasting impact it would have on them.

Every parent sends their children to school expecting them to be safeguarded and taken care of; Joynes's actions have eroded that trust.

I would like to thank the victims for supporting the prosecution. I hope they can start to move forward knowing Joynes has been held accountable for her actions."

Sexual abuse of pupils is not limited to male teachers preying on pupils.  Sometimes - though not as frequently - female teachers are found guilty of having sex with their pupils. 

Andrea Darling, a researcher at the criminology department at Durham University, studies women in positions of trust who sexually abuse children. Writing, back in 2017, she said:-

"Inappropriate female teacher-pupil relationships need to be reported and presented in the same way they would be if the perpetrator was a male" - but also argued that "many women involved in this type of offending 'do not fit the mould'.

More than 100 women were convicted of sexual offences in 2015.

The figures, obtained via a freedom of information request, show the number of convictions almost trebled in a decade. Among those convicted were a number of school staff, including teachers, a head teacher and a teaching assistant.

If you have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher, please contact Samantha Robson for specialist advice on claims against schools. She has a wealth of experience having specialised in sexual abuse claims over the past 24 years.  Sam can be contacted on her direct dial, 01392 345331 or email her on sam@robsonshaw.uk for a free, confidential and no obligation discussion about your potential claim.

Category: Schools