A former PE teacher has been convicted of a string of sexual offences against three pupils, including children she taught at schools in Chippenham and Hampshire.
Bronwen James, 30, was found guilty at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday, September 10, of three counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.
The offences involved a 16-year-old male student and were proven following a trial.
James had already pleaded guilty to a further eight sexual offences involving two female students, who were aged 13 and 14 at the time of the offending.
Those offences included five counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual communication with a child and one count of making an indecent photograph of a child.
Teacher abused position of trust
The Crown Prosecution Service said James engaged in sexual communications with a 13-year-old female pupil while working at Bitterne Park School in Hampshire.
The offending subsequently developed into a sexual relationship when the girl was 14.
James also pursued a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student at the school, telling him she loved him and wanted him to move away with her.
She later moved to Hardenhuish School in Chippenham, where she engaged in a sexual relationship with another 14-year-old female pupil.
Further offences committed while on bail
James was arrested in August 2023 but went on to commit further offences against one of the students while she was on bail.
Prosecutors relied on evidence from the three victims alongside extensive digital material, including messages and other communications exchanged between James and the pupils.
Bethany Adams, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Bronwen James was trusted to educate and protect children. Instead, she used that trust to groom and sexually abuse three students.
“James manipulated her victims with calculated precision, exploiting her position of authority to isolate them and normalise the abuse.
“This was not a lapse in judgement; it was a sustained pattern of predatory behaviour against children in her care.
“The courage shown by James’s victims in coming forward has been instrumental in securing this conviction. I hope it gives them, and their families, some measure of justice.”
Sentencing to follow
James will be sentenced at a later date.
She has been released on bail until September 14, when she is due to return to custody ahead of sentencing.
