A teacher has been found guilty of having sex with two schoolboys.
Rebecca Joynes, 30, groomed the teenagers from the age of 15, Manchester crown court heard, and was on bail for sexual activity with the first child, boy A, when she began having sex with the second, boy B, by whom she went on to become pregnant. Neither teenager must be identified.
Joynes was convicted of six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, including two while being a person in a position of trust.
Joynes closed her eyes and grimaced, before she began visibly shaking as she stood in the dock as the guilty verdicts were returned by the foreperson of the jury after a two-week trial.
Her mother and father, sat in the public gallery, made no reaction but close by the parents of the boys stifled cheers as Joynes was convicted.
Judge Kate Cornell thanked jurors and said she would need reports on the defendant before she could pass sentence in July.
She bailed Joynes, but warned her: “There’s a baby in this case who has done nothing wrong and is entirely innocent of all wrongdoing and you will obviously want to see her before the sentence is passed, I do understand that.
“But you must be under no illusion what’s going to happen on 4 July.”
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 denied any sexual activity with boy A ever took place and said that when he stayed over at her flat he slept on the sofa.
She said sexual activity with boy B began only after he had left school and she had been dismissed from her job, so no offence had been committed as she was no longer in a position of authority.
Jane Wilson, the senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (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.”
