Why police blocked comments after predator teacher Rebecca Joynes was convicted

Police have criticized some “incredibly disappointing comments” following the conviction of a teacher of sexual predators.

Rebecca Joynes was found guilty on Friday, May 17, of engaging in sexual activity with two boys she met while working at a school in Greater Manchester. Manchester Crown Court heard how the 30-year-old lured a 15-year-old boy on a shopping trip to the Trafford Center before taking him back to her flat and having sex with him.

She then became pregnant by another teenage student, with whom she also began a sexual relationship when he was 15. Following the teacher’s sentencing, Greater Manchester Police shared her photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with details of her “predatory” crimes. .

READ MORE: A police officer has been fired after they found incriminating WhatsApp messages

READ MORE: Man ‘cut’ and woman ‘seriously injured’ as two groups brawl outside city bar

But the force had to disable replies to the post because of the “incredibly disappointing” comments. A GMP spokesman said the responses would be removed “out of respect for the victims”, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Under the previous post about Joynes, a GMP spokesperson wrote this morning: “Some of the comments on this post have been incredibly disappointing. A child sexual predator has been convicted of serious crimes and there are two young victims at the center of this case. We have removed these comments and stopped any further replies that may be made out of respect for the victims and any survivors of sexual exploitation who may see this.”

During Joynes’ trial, the court was told he took a 15-year-old girl to the Trafford Center and splashed her with a £345 Gucci belt from Selfridges. He then took her back to her flat in Salford, where they are said to have had sex.

She was let go from work and it was later discovered that she became pregnant with a second boy, whom she first met at the age of 15 when they allegedly kissed each other. Prosecutors said the relationship later turned sexual.

She became pregnant and later had his child, despite Ms Joynes allegedly telling her it was “almost impossible” for her to conceive due to a health problem. He found out she was pregnant “much to his shock” after giving him a child to foster, the court heard.

Following her sentencing, Detective Constable Beth Alexander from GMP’s Child Protection Investigation Unit in Salford said: “Firstly I would like to thank the victims and their families for being brave enough to come forward and work with us in our investigation. Rebecca Joynes is a sexual predator. She was their teacher and they rightly put their trust in her.

“But Joynes decided to abuse her position and used it to look after two teenagers. We welcome today’s verdict and now wait for Joynes to face the consequences for her actions.

“I would like to thank the officers who worked closely with the victims and their families in establishing the full circumstances of this case and the investigative team for their hard work and dedication during this investigation. The two victims and their families have asked that their privacy be respected now and, moving forward, they all want to move on with their lives and put this ordeal behind them.”

Joynes, of Pensby Road, Wirral, was found guilty of 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. She is due to be sentenced in July.

Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by subscribing to the Echo Daily newsletter here