Ex-teacher jailed for sex with schoolboys

Rebecca Joynes, 30, groomed the youngsters from the age of 15, and was on bail for sexual activity with the first child, Boy A, when she began having sex with the second, Boy B, who she went on to become pregnant by.

Neither boy can be identified.

Parents of both boys watched as Joynes, wearing a gold necklace, black padded jacket and with blonde highlights in her hair, visibly shook and broke down in tears as she was jailed at Manchester Crown Court.

Passing sentence, Judge Kate Cornell told the defendant: “There is a breathtaking arrogance in your conduct.

“You were the adult.

“You were the person in control, the person who should have known better and entrusted by the school and the boys and by their parents of caring for their sons.

“Instead, you abused that position of trust and exploited the privileged role for your own sexual gratification.”

Joynes had been found guilty by a jury of six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, including two while being a person in a position of trust, following a two-week trial at the court in May.

Judge Cornell said Joynes was a “high achiever” who had thrown her career away and had her baby taken away from her through her own actions.

She continued: “From the outside it may be easy to fall into the misconception these boys were not victims.

“It may be asked what 15-year-old boy would not want to have sex with an older, attractive teacher? Surely they would be up for it. How can this be a crime?

“Well Miss Joynes, there is no doubt this is a crime. Both boys were very much victims, obviously unworldly and vulnerable to the advances from an older attractive woman.

“You felt buoyed and boosted by their attention.

“You were the one with the car, the flat, the money, the life experience.

“There’s no real insight from you, you continue to deny the offences and have been silent on the distressing impact on these boys.”

The court heard Boy B’s life “will be forever different” after becoming a father at such a young age.

In a statement read to the court, he said: “I was coerced and controlled, manipulated, sexually abused, and mentally abused.”

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.”

Petite, softly spoken and described by the teenagers as “really pretty”, Joynes joined the school in 2018, as part of the Teach First teacher recruitment scheme after studying for a sports and exercise science degree.

The former childhood gymnast had suffered bullying at school and periods of eating disorders linked to her body image, the court heard.

Described as “introverted and shy”, aged 28, she had undergone a messy break-up after the end of a nine-year relationship, which left her “scarred”.

She then struggled during the Covid pandemic, living on her own away from her family, becoming lonely but “flattered” by the attention of teenage schoolboys, her trial heard.

Joynes, referred to as “Bunda Becky” by the boys, would “laugh off” inappropriate comments to her, instead of shutting down the behaviour.

Boy A got her mobile number after she gave him all but one of the digits, as a maths problem-solving exercise, and he had to work out the final digit.

They connected on Snapchat and he sent her flirty texts, with the pair agreeing to meet in secret.

Boy A lied to his mother that he was staying at a friend’s house to play Fifa after school finished on Friday, but instead Joynes picked him up near his home in her Audi A1, took him to the Trafford Centre and bought him a £350 Gucci belt.

Back at her flat at Salford Quays, they kissed, then had sex twice, with Joynes telling the boy: “No-one had better find out.”

The next day, the boy’s mother noticed a love-bite on her son’s neck and by Monday morning rumours were circulating, with Boy A’s distraught mother storming into the school reception as police were called in.

Joynes was warned not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 as police investigated.

But she then began a relationship with Boy B, with him lying to his parents that he was off to watch a Manchester United match but instead going to Joynes’ apartment, where he lost his virginity to the schoolteacher.

He later told police he regarded the relationship as “friends with benefits” and said they regularly had sex while he was still at school.

He said Joynes had told him she could not have a baby and they had unprotected sex, but in fact she later discovered she was pregnant.

She invited Boy B round for a “date night” involving an Ann Summers scratchcard of sexual activities, rose petals and hidden notes around her flat, leading to “surprises” ending with a babygrow saying “Best Dad” on the front.

In a letter to the youngster, Joynes wrote: “Every inch of you is perfect. You are all I ever dream about.”

She gave birth to their son in early 2024, but the child was taken away from her within 24 hours.

Joynes wore a pink baby’s bonnet tucked into her trousers visible to jurors, a “naked attempt to garner sympathy”, prosecutor Joe Allman said.

She denied any sexual activity with Boy A ever took place and claimed sexual activity with Boy B only began 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.

Mike O’Brien, defending, said Joynes had suffered anxiety and depression while living alone in her flat during lockdown, after which the defendant told the court she became “flattered” by the attention of schoolboys.

He added: “She’s been assessed and her emotional well-being described as emotionally fragile. She is presently medicated by her GP.

“It is right to say the defendant is 30 and has no previous convictions.

“Given the nature of her convictions, she will never teach again.

“It is not the baby’s fault. She can be a positive and loving influence for her child in the future if she is given the chance.”

The court heard details from Joynes’ probation report, which suggested she still maintained that while she may have done wrong in being in contact with the schoolboys, she still denied she did anything illegal.

Outside court, Detective Constable Beth Alexander, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said: “It’s clear from some of the public commentary when Joynes was convicted that there is still a lack of understanding when it comes to men and boys being the victims of sexual offences.

“They have had to read comments stating others are ‘jealous’ of them, and that they should be ‘happy a young female teacher was interested in them’, and this rhetoric is very damaging and dangerous.

“Women can still be paedophiles; this term is not reserved only for men. Men and boys can still be victims of sexual abuse.

“These victims have been incredibly brave speaking up about what has happened to them, and I hope this investigation gives other men and boys who may be being sexually exploited the confidence to come forward.”