Rebecca Joynes lured one 15 year old lad with a trip to the Trafford Centre, where she bought him a £345 Gucci belt from Selfridges.
Imprisoned paedophile teacher Rebecca Joynes could face a permanent 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, received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence 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 then became pregnant by another teenage student, initiating a sexual relationship with him when he was also 15. Joynes was convicted of six counts of sexual activity with a child at Manchester Crown Court, including two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust.
The offences involved two teenage boys she encountered through her role as a teacher at a Greater Manchester school. For legal reasons, neither the boys nor the school can be identified.
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 education. 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.
Ms Duckworth added that Joynes had ‘deleted’ the content of her phone when an investigation commenced.
Her crimes against the second boy, known as Pupil B, were marked by ‘grooming and an abuse of trust’, according to Ms Duckworth. 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 was employed in 2021 and notified the headteacher that an investigation was underway into allegations involving Pupil A after 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 the ‘notion of a Mrs Robinson figure’ was one that ‘permeates’ but she continued that her offences against two pupils had had a ‘lasting impact’.
She explained that fatherhood was ‘thrust upon’ Pupil B, who she said 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 been 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 committing wrongdoing, she stated, adding: “The damage done here is enormous.”
Following the TRA hearing, panel chairman Phil Thompson announced the panel had determined Joynes’ conduct constituted ‘unacceptable behaviour’ and that this had ‘brought the profession into disrepute’.
Ms Duckworth contended the ‘necessary and proportionate’ subsequent action was for the panel to contact the Secretary of State for Education to suggest Joynes should be permanently prohibited from returning to education as her conduct had been ‘fundamentally incompatible’ with teaching.
Before entering private deliberations to determine whether to make such a recommendation, Mr Thompson indicated that if one were made, it would take several days before the Secretary of State publicly revealed a decision.
What was heard in Joynes’ court case Joynes received her prison sentence in July at Manchester Crown Court, with her two victims identified as Boy A and Boy B throughout court reporting.
The court was told she escorted Boy A to the Trafford Centre, purchasing him a £345 Gucci belt from Selfridges, before returning to her Salford flat where they engaged in sexual activity.
Following her suspension from her teaching position, it emerged she had become pregnant by a second pupil – Boy B – whom she initially encountered when he was 15 years old, before they shared a kiss.
Their relationship developed sexually, resulting in Joynes conceiving and subsequently giving birth to his child, despite previously informing him that conception was ‘almost impossible’ due to a medical condition. He discovered her pregnancy during a planned ‘date night’ featuring rose petals and romantic messages.
She also presented him with a baby grow bearing the message ‘I love my daddy to the moon and and back’.
A victim impact statement delivered on Boy B’s behalf revealed: “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 a clean 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 she admitted she ‘enjoyed the attention’ he showered on her.
When questioned about why she brought him to the Trafford Centre before letting him stay overnight at her flat, she responded: “I was stupid, I don’t know.”
Regarding the second boy, she maintained that nothing occurred between them until he reached 16 and after her dismissal from her position.
She insisted she was ‘in love with’ the teenager and that their bond was founded on a ‘strong friendship’.
The jury was presented with correspondence in which she wrote to the boy that ‘every inch of you is perfect’.
Joynes revealed to the court that just 24 hours following their baby’s birth, the child was ‘taken away’ from her.
She also kept a baby’s bonnet tucked into her trousers whilst in court.
Her defence counsel, Michael O’Brien, explained that his client battles anxiety and depression and had been deemed ’emotionally fragile’ by probation services.
“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 noted that the infant was removed from her at birth, describing it as ‘harrowing’ for Joynes. During sentencing, Judge Kate Cornell condemned her ‘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, of Pensby Avenue, the Wirral, received a prison sentence totalling six-and-a-half years. Restraining orders were imposed regarding both boys.
Joynes will remain on the Sex Offender Register for life.
