A PE teacher who “exploited her position” at a Hampshire school has been found guilty of having sex with a schoolboy.
Bronwen James, 30, was convicted of three counts of sexual activity involving the 16-year-old schoolboy at Bitterne Park School in Southampton following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.
Jurors also found James not guilty on one count of sexual activity with the pupil after 12 hours of deliberations.
James showed little emotion and could be seen looking down at the floor as the verdicts were returned.
The trial heard the former teacher flirted with the pupil in class before they started sending Snapchat messages and arranged for her to drive him to Weston Shore in Southampton, where they kissed in her car.
This progressed to the pair going to the defendant’s house where they cuddled while watching Wimbledon on TV before going to her bedroom where they had sex.
Edward Culver, prosecuting, told the trial the school was made aware of the incident after another student showed a teacher some text messages that were apparently sent between the defendant and the complainant.
He said: “They suggested a sexually-charged relationship, he was named as ‘number 8’ in the messages as a cover, him being the eighth man she had slept with. Her photo was visible on the phone screen.”
Mr Culver said: “She acted not only in an unprofessional and overfamiliar way, but failed to recognise any boundaries, exploiting her position to engage in sexual activity with one of her young students.”
In a police interview shown to the court, the boy said he had been “groomed” by the defendant.
He added: “I thought this was great, any teenage boy’s dream, but I think it was wrong, at the time I wasn’t thinking that.”
The boy added that in class, James, who he described as “quite attractive” would “slip him vapes” in his coursework and also said she liked him to call her “Miss” when they were alone together.
He said: “I always called her ‘Miss’, I don’t know why, I think it was her little fantasy or something.”
Wiltshire Police previously confirmed James, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, taught PE at Hardenhuish School in Chippenham and Bitterne Park School in Southampton.
