Paedo teacher Rebecca Joynes to be banned from classroom after grooming pupils

Rebecca Joynes, 31, was jailed for six-and-a-half years in July after having sex with two pupils she groomed while working as a maths teacher

Imprisoned paedophile teacher Rebecca Joynes could face a lifetime ban from teaching following a professional conduct panel’s verdict of ‘unacceptable conduct’. She was absent from the conduct hearing, which heard that she had inflicted ‘enormous damage’ on two students.

Joynes, 31, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison in July for engaging in sexual relations with two pupils. She lured one 15 year old lad with a trip to the Trafford Centre, where she bought him a £345 Gucci belt from Selfridges.

She subsequently became pregnant by another teenage student, whom she also initiated a sexual relationship with when he was 15. Joynes was convicted of six counts of sexual activity with a child, including two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

The offences involved two teenage boys she encountered through her role as a teacher at a Greater Manchester school. The identities of the boys and the school are protected by law and cannot be disclosed.

Today (Thursday, December 4), a professional conduct panel hearing found her guilty of ‘unacceptable conduct’, a judgement that could result in her being permanently excluded from the education sector. Joynes, who remains incarcerated, declined an invitation to attend the remote hearing and did not have anyone present to represent her interests, the panel was informed, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Shirley Duckworth, speaking on behalf of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), informed the panel that Joynes’ convictions were ‘of the utmost severity’, highlighting her ‘lack of engagement’ in conduct panel proceedings.

Ms Duckworth stated that Joynes had ‘committed sexual offences against two boys she had direct contact with in the course of her profession’.

Detailing her crimes against one of the victims, referred to as Pupil A, Ms Duckworth said the teacher was guilty of an ‘abuse of trust’. She also noted how the trial judge had remarked on the ‘significant disparity’ in their ages.

Furthermore, Joynes had ‘deleted’ the content of her phone when an investigation commenced, according to Ms Duckworth.

Her crimes against the second boy, known as Pupil B, were marked by ‘grooming and an abuse of trust’, Ms Duckworth added. She pointed out that ‘the most serious’ aspect of the crimes against Pupil B was that they occurred while she was on bail for offences against Pupil A.

The hearing was informed that Joynes, a maths teacher, was sacked for gross misconduct in July 2022 following her initial court appearance.

Ms Duckworth revealed that police visited the school where Joynes taught in 2021 and notified the principal that an investigation into allegations concerning Pupil A was underway, following a complaint to Childline.

The barrister mentioned that Joynes couldn’t deny a relationship with Pupil B due to the ‘existence of a child’, which she described as a ‘significant aggravating feature’.

Ms Duckworth stated that whilst the ‘notion of a Mrs Robinson figure’ was one that ‘permeates’, she emphasised that her offences against the two pupils had created a ‘lasting impact’.

She explained that fatherhood was ‘thrust upon’ Pupil B, who she noted had observed: “I will forever be Rebecca’s victim and will be forever be linked to her through our child.”

The acquisition of a £345 Gucci belt, she continued, had constituted a ‘manipulative form of flattery’, noting that Pupil B had ‘felt deceived by a teacher she should have been able to trust’.

She continued: “It’s right to identify Miss Joynes as a paedophile.”

It was ‘inconceivable’ that Joynes wasn’t aware she was doing something wrong, she stated, before adding: “The damage done here is enormous.”

Following the TRA hearing, panel chairman Phil Thompson announced that the panel had determined Joynes’ conduct constituted ‘unacceptable behaviour’ which had ‘brought the profession into disrepute’.

Ms Duckworth contended that the ‘necessary and proportionate’ subsequent action would be for the panel to contact the Secretary of State for Education, recommending that Joynes be permanently prohibited from returning to the education sector as her actions had been ‘fundamentally incompatible’ with teaching.

Prior to entering private deliberations to determine whether to make such a recommendation, Mr Thompson indicated that should one be issued, it would require several days before the Secretary of State would publicly declare their decision. Joynes received a prison sentence in July at Manchester Crown Court.

Her two victims were identified as Boy A and Boy B during media coverage of the case.

The court was told she accompanied Boy A to the Trafford Centre and purchased him a £345 Gucci belt from Selfridges, before taking him back to her flat in Salford, where they engaged in sexual activity.

She was suspended from her position and was subsequently found to be expecting a child with a second boy – Boy B – whom she first encountered when he was aged 15 before they shared a kiss.

The relationship became sexual, with Joynes becoming pregnant and eventually giving birth to his child, despite informing him it was ‘almost impossible’ for her to conceive due to a medical condition. He discovered she was expecting after she arranged a ‘date night’ complete with rose petals and romantic messages.

She also presented him with a baby grow bearing the words ‘I love my daddy to the moon and back’ on it.

A victim impact statement read on behalf of Boy B stated: “I was coerced, controlled and sexually abused, it was very upsetting this happened to me and I had little to no support from organisations.

“For months after the abuse it was a very dark time. I felt backed into a corner, I had just lived a double life for 18 months, and it had a massive mental toll on me and my family.

“It tore my family apart, they struggled to come to terms with the fact they brought me to school which was supposed to be a safe environment. My parents broke down every day and night.”

Joynes, who has no prior criminal record, refuted the charges during her trial. Taking the witness stand over several days, she rejected any claims of sexual contact with the first lad, though acknowledged she ‘liked the attention’ he provided.

When questioned about why she brought him to the Trafford Centre before letting him stay overnight at her apartment, she responded: “I was stupid, I don’t know.”

Regarding the second pupil, she maintained nothing occurred between them until he reached 16 and after her dismissal from the school. She insisted she was ‘in love with’ the teenager and described their bond as founded on a ‘strong friendship’.

The jury was presented with correspondence where she wrote to the boy stating ‘every inch of you is perfect’.

Joynes informed the court that just 24 hours following their child’s birth, the infant was ‘taken away’ from her. Throughout proceedings, she kept a baby’s bonnet concealed in her clothing.

Her defence counsel, Michael O’Brien, explained his client battles with anxiety and depression, having been deemed ’emotionally fragile’ by probation officers.

“The defendant understands her own conduct has seen her miss out on the early years of her baby’s life. The baby will miss out on very important contact with her mother. The defendant understands that’s entirely of her making – and it’s not the baby’s fault,” he stated.

“The shorter the time, the better for the baby,” the barrister continued. He described how the infant was removed from her at birth, calling the experience ‘harrowing’ for Joynes.

In her sentencing, Judge Kate Cornell accused the defendant of ‘breathtaking arrogance’, stating: “You have shown an unwilling inability to face up to wrongdoing. This does you no favours, Ms Joynes.

“You were the adult, the one in control and should have known better. You were trusted by the school, the boys and the parents – for caring and protecting their sons. You abused that trust and exploited that role for your sexual gratification. It is inconceivable you did not realise that too.

“You deliberately transgressed them and encouraged boys to breach that too. You turned a blind eye.”

Joynes, from Pensby Avenue, the Wirral, received a prison sentence of six-and-a-half years. Restraining orders were put in place against both boys.

Joynes will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.