Rebecca Joynes, 30, is facing accusations of ‘grooming’ a 15-year-old boy by purchasing a £345 Gucci belt for him during a shopping trip before engaging in sexual activity with him at her residence.
Subsequently, she allegedly became pregnant after initiating a relationship with another underage boy while on bail for the previous charges.
Joynes refutes the claims of a sexual relationship with the first boy, referred to as Boy A, stating that she only engaged in sexual activity with the second boy after he turned 16 and had completed his schooling, thus asserting that no wrongdoing occurred.
However, during her trial at Manchester Crown Court, the former teacher was accused of attempting to elicit sympathy by visibly placing a baby’s bonnet belonging to her daughter, conceived with one of the teenagers, into her trousers.
The prosecution, led by Joe Allman, questioned Joynes’ credibility and suggested that she may be manipulating the situation to her advantage.
He challenged the notion that she had been ‘gaslit’ during her relationship with Boy B, prompting the jury to consider whether gender played a role in the perception of the case.
Allman raised the question of potential gender bias, asking if the boys would have been treated differently if they were girls and if Joynes’ gender influenced the proceedings.
He urged the jury to envision a scenario where the accused, described as ‘pretty,’ petite, and soft-spoken Rebecca Joynes, was instead a man named Robert, emphasising the importance of impartial judgment in the case.
