Rebecca Joynes, a 30-year-old former secondary school teacher from Manchester, has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for grooming and sexually abusing two teenage boys. She was found guilty in May of six counts of sexual activity with a child, including two counts while in a position of trust.
Joynes groomed both pupils from the age of 15. While on bail for sexual activity with the first boy, referred to as Boy A, she began a relationship with the second boy, Boy B, and later gave birth to his child. Sentencing her at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Cornell described her conduct as displaying 'breathtaking arrogance' and stated that she had abused her position of trust for sexual gratification.
In a victim impact statement read in court, Boy B said he was 'coerced, controlled, manipulated, sexually abused, and mentally abused'. He described the aftermath as 'a very dark time' and said the abuse had 'torn my family apart'. The judge noted that both boys were 'very much victims, obviously unworldly and vulnerable to the advances from an older attractive woman'.
Joynes was also placed on the sex offenders register for life, issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, and a restraining order in relation to both boys.
