A ‘flirty’ female PE teacher had sex with a 16-year-old student at her home while they watched Wimbledon and asked him to call her ‘Miss’, a court has heard.
Bronwen James, 30, became ‘flirty’ with the boy and invited him to her home for sex up to four times, jurors were told.
The teacher is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of four counts of sexual activity with the teenager, which she denies. She claims the boy was ‘hounded’ by another student to make the allegations against her.
James is said to have organized meetings with the pupil at Bitterne Park School in Southampton Snapchat and picked him up so they could kiss in the car as part of their “sexually charged relationship.”
The court also heard she told him she ‘loved him’ and ‘wanted to move with him’.
Prosecutors say James, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, named the boy ‘Number 8’ in her phone book as a ‘front’, suggesting he was ‘the eighth man or boy she had slept with’.
The boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – told the court he had been ‘groomed’ by James but thought it was ‘great’ at the time.
In a video interview with police, he said they “always flirted during classes” before meeting in her car.
He said that the next day she came up to him in class and asked him in a “flirtatious” manner, “Where were you last night?”
The boy said they had sex at her home, adding: “At the time I was overwhelmed, it was great, but looking back on it now it was wrong.”
Describing the first time at her home, he said, “She came over to me on the couch, with her head in my lap, watching TV, her dog was there too, just relaxing, and then I leaned in for a kiss.”
‘We were kissing, then it went further, I said “Shall we go upstairs?”, she said “yes” and we had sex. She got naked and I got naked and that’s how it went.’
The boy added that James, who he described as ‘quite attractive’, used to give him fumes during his lessons and also said she liked him calling her ‘miss’ when they were alone together.
He said: ‘She’s a bit weird but I rolled with it, it was a bit of a dodge but I didn’t care.’
He also described how James had called him from her departure party, with other teachers in the background, and told him she loved him.
He added, “I thought she cared about me.”
Opening the case for the prosecution, Edward Culver told the court today: ‘This is a case about a teacher who exploited her position as a teacher to engage in sexual activity with one of her students.
‘She flirted with him. Exchanged messages with him. Took him to her house. And she had sex with him.
Bronwen James, 30, became ‘flirty’ with the teenage student and invited him to her home for sex up to four times, jurors were told
The teacher is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with four counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust, which she denies
‘At the time of these allegations (the complainant) was 16 years old and in Year 11 at Bitterne Park School in Southampton.
‘James was his PE teacher after he joined Bitterne Park in September 2019. He says Ms. James would allow students to use their phones during classes. He tried to add her on Snapchat.
“She initially refused his attempts to add her on Snapchat, but then chose to do so. They started messaging each other. The messages became flirty. The two met up and went to Weston Shore. They kissed in the car.
“Later, the complainant says that James picked up (the complainant) and took him to her house. Tennis had started at Wimbledon.
‘They started watching TV before kissing and touching each other. She took off her clothes and then he took off his clothes.”
Mr Culver said James and the teenager had sex and did not use protection. “The 16-year-old student felt overwhelmed and excited at the time,” he continued.
“He says they had intercourse three to four times in her bedroom at her home. This additional activity was reflected in another single count of sexual intercourse.
‘They messaged every day and she told him she cared about him. They even talked about moving in together. She told (the complainant) that she loved him and wanted to leave with him.
“The school became aware because a student showed a number of text messages to a teacher, the complaint says between James and (the complainant).
‘They suggested a sexually charged relationship. (Complainant) was referred to in the messages as a cover as ‘Number 8’, with (Complainant) being the eighth man or boy she had slept with. Her photo was visible on the phone screen.”
James was later confronted by police, Mr Culver said.
“As a result, under caution, James was questioned by police about these allegations, albeit some time later,” he said.
“In this interview, Miss James was asked questions about the allegations involving (the complainant).”
The court heard she had a lawyer with her and did not answer questions, instead giving a prepared statement.
James allegedly organized meetings with the student on Snapchat and picked him up so they could kiss in the car as part of their ‘sexually charged relationship’
At the time of the alleged offences, she was teaching at Bitterne Park School in Southampton
She claimed that the boy had never been to her home and that she had never had a sexual relationship with him.
She said she received a message from an unknown number that turned out to be his, suggesting that another student had “set him up” to make these allegations.
She said she was “shocked” by the call and then blocked his number.
But the prosecutor said there were images of the teenager with James’ dog at her address.
He continued, “You might want to think about what it feels like to be a teenager on video talking to a police officer about having sex with your teacher.
“The key issue in the case is simply whether what James suggested happened did or did not happen.
“The prosecutor says that whatever the reason or combination of motives for acting as she did, James not only acted in an unprofessional and overly familiar manner, but also failed to recognize boundaries and exploited her position to engage in sexual activity with one of her young students.”
James denies four counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. The trial, expected to last seven days, continues.
