Teacher says pupil lied about sex 'to look cool'

A PE teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a pupil says she believes the boy made up the allegations "to look cool in front of his mates".

Bronwen James, 30, of Chippenham, in Wiltshire, is accused of four charges of sexual activity with a 16-year-old boy at Bitterne Park School, in Southampton, Hampshire, in 2022.

She denies they had sex or exchanged flirtatious messages, but told the ongoing trial at Winchester Crown Court she was "aware there was a rumour" of flirting between them at the time.

James admitted that the boy did come to her house on one occasion for five minutes, but that it was just a toilet stop and to drop her dog off before she gave him a lift home from town.

In police interviews, the former pupil accused James of grooming him, saying they had exchanged "flirtatious" messages before having sex at her house on several occasions.

James admitted she accepted his request to add her on Snapchat after his school term ended.

"We had a brief conversation but it wasn't constant messaging. There'd been a few messages, then maybe a few days' break then maybe a few more messages," she told the court.

Prosecutor Edward Culver asked James why the boy would make up the allegations.

"I don't know why four years later, but I think at the time maybe he wanted to look cool in front of his mates," she said. "Brag to his mates that he was having a relationship with a teacher."

The jury heard James had been given a warning in her previous school over using her personal phone to communicate with pupils.

But the defendant said the exchanges on Snapchat were when the boy was no longer her student.

When asked if she accepted she should not have accepted the request, she responded: "In hindsight, yes".

Asked why she initially told police the boy had never been in her house or car, she said: "Because I was aware that I already had a written warning and communicating with him in the first place was the wrong thing to do."

She said she "knew nothing had happened sexually" but did not want the situation to "blow up".

She added she continued communicating with him because she "wanted to be liked" and "didn't want to let people down".

James said when the boy messaged her asking for a lift home, she agreed because she "found it difficult to say no".

The court heard a search of her phone did not find the Snapchat messages between the two.

Asked why the boy had a passport photo of James on his phone, she said there were "multiple reasons or possibilities".

"At the time, I was moving house. Both me and my partner had to submit our ID to the estate agents. I was also applying for new jobs so there were copies of passports."

She also suggested her Snapchat handle and passport photo could have been found on her phone, which she left on her desk as she helped students.

Culver asked how the boy managed to provide an accurate sketch plan of James' house and she replied the property was advertised for sale online, which included a floor plan.

"He's never been in my bedroom," she added.

The trial continues.

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