A former physical education teacher in England, Bronwen James, has pleaded guilty to nine offences involving two schoolgirls, following a trial that also examined separate rape allegations involving a 16-year-old boy, the Daily Mail reported.
James worked at Bitterne Park School until 2022. Investigators said it was there that she began abusing both boys and girls in her care.
Case involving the teenage boy
The first case heard by the court centered on a 16-year-old boy, who prosecutors said James raped at her home while the pair were watching the Wimbledon tennis tournament on television. Wimbledon is the annual Grand Slam tournament held in south-west London each summer and is one of the most widely watched sporting events in Britain.
James denied the allegations and tried to portray the boy as a fantasist who had invented the story to impress his friends. The boy then showed the court photographs he had taken inside James's home, including images of her dog, and she was forced to admit she had lied.
Abuse of two schoolgirls
Before that trial began, James had already admitted to abusing two schoolgirls.
The first victim was 13 years old when James began sending her sexually explicit photographs and describing her sexual fantasies in messages, according to the Daily Mail. Once the girl turned 14, James began raping her, both in her car and at her own home.
The second victim was also 13. James kissed the girl in her car and touched her intimate areas. On one occasion, she persuaded the girl to send her a nude photograph.
Guilty pleas and sentencing
James pleaded guilty to nine counts relating to the two girls but denied the offences against the boy until his evidence exposed her account as false. She is now awaiting sentencing.
Similar case in the United States
The Daily Mail previously reported that a teacher named Teddy Paige was fired from a Catholic school in New Orleans, Louisiana, after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. According to that report, Paige managed to conceal the relationship for months before she was caught after the victim's mother grew suspicious.
