Teacher Rebecca Joynes brought pink baby bonnet to court to 'garner sympathy'

15 May 2024 , 15:30

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Rebecca Joynes had earlier appeared in the witness box with a pink baby's bonnet visible (Image: Steve Allen)

A teacher accused of performing sex acts with two teenage students brought a pink baby bonnet to her trial to 'garner sympathy', a court has heard.

Rebecca Joynes, 30, admitted breaking safeguarding rules as a teacher by being in contact with the boys on Snapchat before inviting them to her flat in Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester. She was already suspended from her job and was on bail for allegedly having sex with the child, known as boy A, 15, when she had sex with the student - known as boy B, 16, who she later became pregnant by. Neither child can be identified.

Joynes, of Pensby Road, Wirral, has denied any sexual activity happened with boy A. His semen was recovered from her bedsheets. She claims the relationship with boy B started once she lost her job as a teacher, arguing no legal offence was committed. Manchester Crown Court jurors heard Joynes and boy B argued and could not decide whether to keep the baby or have an abortion.

Giving evidence for the first time this week, Ms Joynes repeatedly denied having any sexual contact with either boy when they were underage. Of the first complainant, Boy A, she said that she noticed he was 'pushing boundaries' and 'getting a bit more flirtatious'. After chatting with the boy over text and snapchat and agreeing to take him to Selfridges, where ought him a £345 Gucci belt, she took him back to her flat, where she said nothing happened between them and he slept on the sofa.

Ms Joynes repeatedly denied having any sexual contact with either boy when they were underage (Steve Allen)

When asked why his DNA had been found on her bedsheets, she said she had left him alone in her apartment after going to work the next morning, adding: “It definitely wasn’t with me. At some point he must have gone into my bedroom and something happened.” Of Boy B, she denied that any sexual contact happened until after he turned 16, stating she was suspended from teaching at the time. She said he initially added her on Snapchat, which she rejected, then he added her again and she agreed as she thought he ‘wanted to tell her something’.

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Joe Allman, prosecuting, opened by asking Joynes why she had appeared in the witness box with a pink baby's bonnet visible, tucked into the top of her trousers, and whether she was trying to get sympathy from the Jury. "No. Definitely not," Joynes said. "I sleep with this every night."

And on Wednesday, after two days of cross examination, prosecution barrister Joe Allman used his closing speech to remind 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 explained: “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. The questions were completely irrelevant, as were the answers. One of the very first things said to you by the judge was that sympathy had no place in these proceedings. That, the prosecution say, was a pretty naked attempt to garner sympathy. Who is gaslighting who?”

And referring to the belt bought for Boy A, Mr Allman called the incident "the most obvious example of grooming you can imagine", before suggesting to the jury: “How different would the situation be if she was not a woman, but a 30-year-old man and the allegations were against two girls? If he had just got out of a nine-year relationship and was lonely and he was getting a lot of attention and they were making inappropriate comments. He felt flattered by it. What then? What if he was charged and bailed, and breached that bail by getting into a relationship with a girl from the school? Would he have stood in that witness box and kept a baby’s bonnet tucked into his trousers, would he have thought that would have garnered sympathy?”

Mr Allman said this thought process "drags her real defence to light" - and said it was "uncomfortable" for Ms Joynes to hear, before adding: “She tweaks her defence based on what she can come up with in the face of overwhelming evidence". Mr Allman also suggested that Ms Joynes was "not stupid".

Joynes denies two counts of sexual activity with Boy A, two counts of sexual activity with Boy B and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust. The trial continues.

Amy Walker