Rebecca Joynes: 'Sexual predator' maths teacher jailed after being found guilty of sexual activity with a child

The maths teacher, who got pregnant by one of her pupils while awaiting trial, was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child, following a two-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in May. On Thursday (July 4), the same court sentenced her to six and a half years in jail after previously being granted bail.

Joynes was already suspended from her high school job after being accused of engaging in a sexual activity with boy A, 15, when she allegedly began a sexual relationship with the second youngster, boy B, whom she later became pregnant by. Neither teenager can be identified.

Jurors heard that both boys sent Joynes seductive Snapchat messages before boy A went shopping, purchased a £350 Gucci belt, and returned to her flat in Salford Quays, where he claims they had sex, with his sperm being found from her bedsheets by police.

Boy B reports that his sexual activity began at the age of 15, with kissing, followed by complete sex at the age of 16 while still a student. Joynes maintains that no sexual activity occurred with boy A, that a connection formed with boy B while she was suspended from her work and only became sexual after she was fired, and that he had left school at the age of 16, therefore no offence had occurred.

She had previously told the jury that she had wrecked her "dream job" with silly "mistakes" by meeting up with the two youngsters and having them back at her flat, but she denied having underage sex.

She also admitted that she had recently ended a nine-year relationship, was lonely, and was pleased by the attention. Michael O'Brien, defending, claimed boy A's statements were teenage boy bravado, and boy B chose to "twist the dates" to suggest sex occurred earlier, while he was still in school and 15 years old.

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Joynes sobbed as she told jurors that the baby she had with boy B was taken away from her shortly after birth, and she now has only limited access, three times a week. She denies six counts of sexual behaviour with a child, two of which occurred while she held a position of trust.