Boy looked after by Rebecca Joynes says ‘most innocent victim is our child’

A schoolboy has told how his life was “torn apart” after being groomed by his teacher.

Boy B, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of two boys who were looked after by Rebecca Joynes, who went on to have her child. The 30-year-old met the two boys through her job as a teacher at a school in Greater Manchester, which cannot be named for legal reasons.

Joynes denied four counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. But she was found guilty on all counts after a two-week trial on Friday 17 May.

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The 30-year-old, of Pensby Road, Wirral, returns to Manchester Crown Court today (July 4) for sentencing. During today’s hearing, the court heard a personal victim impact statement from Boy B, which was read by prosecutor Joe Allman.

The statement read: “I want to make people aware of how the situation has affected my life. At the time of the previous statement, I was still in love with her and struggling to come to terms with the abuse and was in denial.

“Rebecca was in my head so much, I would fight until I was blue in the face protecting her and not hear a bad word about her. I felt betrayed by someone I loved and felt a great sense of guilt for a long time.

“I was worried about making a statement about the woman carrying my child. I was coerced, controlled and sexually abused, it was very upsetting that this happened to me and I had little or no support from organisations.

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

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

He continued: “The most innocent victim is our child and I have come to realize how important my role is in making sure they are supported by love. I understand the difficulty and impact this will have on my child.

“They won’t have their mother present, and that will leave them with questions. I have no doubt that I will have to deal with the questions that come.”

He added: “The term ‘victim’ has been used to describe me and boy A, but it’s bigger than that. It reaches further than us. All our families have been deeply affected. Support was never dropped; they were incredibly respectful, including to Rebecca and her family.

“When she was released on bail in November I really struggled and wondered how my abuser could walk free. I had a panic attack watching the news, I’ve never had a panic attack before. I struggled to understand how she wouldn’t accept. responsibility.”

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