Female PE teacher, 30, ‘had sex with pupil, 16, while they watched Wimbledon at her house and asked him to call her miss’ when they were together, court hears

A ‘flirty’ female PE teacher had sex with a 16-year-old pupil at her house while they watched Wimbledon and asked him to call her ‘miss’, a court has heard.

Bronwen James, 30, became ‘flirtatious’ 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 ‘put up’ by another pupil to make the allegations against her.

James allegedly organised meetings with the pupil at Bitterne Park School in Southampton on Snapchat and picked him up so they could kiss in the car as part of their ‘sexually charged relationship’.

The court also heard that she told him that she ‘loved him’ and ‘wanted to move away’ with him.

Prosecutors say James, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, named the boy ‘Number 8’ in her phonebook as a ‘cover’, suggesting he was ‘the eighth man or boy she had slept with’.

The boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – told the court that he was ‘groomed’ by James but at the time thought it was ‘great’.

In a video interview with police, he said that they ‘always used to flirt in lessons’ before they met up in her car.

He said that the following day she came up to him in class and asked him in a ‘flirty’ manner: ‘Where were you last night?’

The boy said that they progressed to having sex at her house and added: ‘At the time I was overwhelmed, it was great but, looking back at it, it was wrong.’

Describing the first occasion at her home, he said: ‘She was coming to me on the sofa, head in my lap, watching TV, her dog was there as well, just relaxing, then I leaned in for a kiss.

‘We were kissing, then things progressed, 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 in class James, who he described as ‘quite attractive’, would slip him vapes in his coursework and also said that she liked him to call her ‘Miss’ when they were alone together.

He said: ‘She is a bit weird but I rolled with it, it was a little bit dodge but I didn’t care.’

He also described how James had called him from her leaver’s 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 today, Edward Culver told the court: ‘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 home. And she had sex with him.

‘At the time of these allegations (the complainant) was 16, a student in Year 11 of Bitterne Park School in Southampton.

‘James was his PE teacher, having joined Bitterne Park in September 2019. He says Ms James would allow the students to use their phones in lessons. He sought to add her on Snapchat.

‘She initially refused his attempts to add her on Snapchat but then chose to do so. They started to message each other. The messages became flirtatious. The two met up and went to Weston Shore. They kissed in the car.

‘Later the prosecution say James picked up (the complainant) and took him to her house. The tennis was on at Wimbledon.

‘They began watching TV, before kissing and touching each other. She took her clothes off and then he took his clothes off.’

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 sexual intercourse three to four times in her bedroom at her house. This additional activity reflected in a further single count of sexual intercourse.

‘They messaged daily and she told him she cared about him. They even discussed moving in together. She told (the complainant) she loved him and wanted to move away with him.

‘The school became aware through a student showing a teacher some text messages, the prosecution say between James and (the complainant).

‘They suggested a sexually charged relationship. (The complainant) was named as ‘Number 8′ in the messages as a cover, (the complainant) being the eighth man or boy she had slept with. Her photo was visible on the phone screen.’

James was later spoken to by police, Mr Culver said.

‘As a result James was interviewed by police under caution 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 that she had a solicitor with her and did not answer any questions but instead provided a prepared statement.

She claimed that the boy had never been to her house and she never had a sexual relationship with him.

She said that she had received communication from an unknown number which turned out to be him and suggested he was ‘being put up’ to make these allegations by another student.

She said she was ‘shocked’ by the conversation and subsequently blocked his number.

But the prosecutor said that there were images of the teenager with James’s dog at her address.

He continued: ‘You may wish to consider what it might feel like to be a teenager speaking to a police officer on video about having sex with your teacher.

‘The key issue in the case is simply whether what James suggested happened took place or may not have done.

‘The prosecution say that whatever the reason or combination of motives James chose to act as she did, 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.’

James denies four counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. The trial, which is expected to last for seven days, continues.