Teacher who had baby with former pupil 'tried to gain sympathy' with baby bonnet

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Prosecutors have claimed in their closing speech that a teacher who had a baby with a former student and is accused of having sex with two teenage pupils ‘made attempts to garner sympathy’ throughout her trials.Rebecca Joynes denies six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.On Wednesday, May 15, jurors heard legal directions from presiding judge Kate Cornell who requested they 'use common sense and knowledge of the world’, and to ‘put aside their feelings’ when judging the evidence in the case.

The allegations concern two teenage boys - who cannot be named for legal reasons - that the 30-year-old met while she was a teacher at a Greater Manchester school, reports MEN.Previously the court heard that Ms Joynes allegedly groomed one pupil, Boy A, with a Trafford Centre shopping trip, before having sex with him.

She denies any sexual activity ever took place.Joynes then fell pregnant by another teenager, Boy B, the court has heard. Ms Joynes accepted that they met when he was 15 but insisted they did not have sex until it was legal for them to do so.In a closing speech for the prosecution, barrister Joe Allman reminded the jury of a term used by defence counsel, Michael O’Brien, in his cross-examination of Boy B - namely gaslighting.Mr Allman described the term as a ‘combination of manipulation of the facts and maybe playing with people’s feelings’.He said: “Do you remember when Mr O’Brien rounded off his questions to Ms Joynes [during her evidence] with a series of questions about her baby?

Her and Boy B’s baby.“That caused her to descend into tears whilst she remained standing up with a baby’s bonnet tucked into her trousers.