Co Antrim teacher who sexually abused pupil is jailed for two years

A Co Antrim teacher who sexually abused a teenage pupil was jailed for two years today (Friday) and put on the sex offenders register for life.

Judith Evans (33), of Elmwood Grove in Newtownabbey had pleaded guilty to grooming and having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old schoolboy.

Evans was sentenced to four years, with half of the term to be spent in custody.

Judge Patricia Smyth said Evans would be disqualified from working with children and would be on the sex offender register for life.

Belfast Crown Court heard that when Evans was confronted with her crimes by police, she had falsely claimed that her teenage victim had threatened and raped her.

The judge said there had been close to 10,000 text messages exchanged between the teacher and pupil.

She said Evans, who was a teacher at Belfast Boys' Model School when the offences took place, had basked in her victim's "adolescent attraction towards her".

The charges she admitted include sexual communication with a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual activity with a child involving penetration and possessing indecent images of the schoolboy. These offences were committed between March 1 and May 17 2024.

She further admitted a charge of perverting the course of justice.

Judge Smyth told the court Evan had groomed the child who was vulnerable because of family circumstances.

After giving him her email address and mobile phone number text communications followed.

The judge said: "From an early stage they contained inappropriate sexual suggestions."

She told the court that during the Easter holidays in 2024 the communications escalated to sexual photos being sent to the boy.

She added: "Within a matter of weeks the defendant was inviting the victim to meet her.

"The defendant met the victim on two occasions outside school where sexual activity occurred."

She said on a third occasion the boy would not get into a car with Evans because it belonged to her husband and did not have blacked out windows.

The judge said there were references within text exchanges to sexual contact at school, but said this had not been proven.

The court heard that Evans phoned the victim's mother on a regular basis to discuss his demeanour and said she wanted to keep him after class for revision.

The judge added: "The mother recalled her son returning home looking dishevelled on one occasion with his tie undone and his shirt buttons opened after apparently having stayed behind for revision."

After the schoolboy's girlfriend found a text message on his phone, he admitted that he had cheated on her and said he wanted to run away and kill himself because he knew police would be involved.

The court was told his father took him to hospital where he disclosed the sexual activity with his teacher.

Outside court Detective Chief Inspector Jill Duffie said: “Evans is a cold, calculating child predator who abused her position of trust by taking advantage of a young boy.

“She preyed on his vulnerabilities and built an inappropriate ‘friendship’ with the boy before then further grooming him and sexually exploiting him. The messages exchanged between her and her underage pupil were highly sexual and nothing short of sickening.

“As a result of the abuse he was subjected to, the victim has suffered greatly with mental health struggles and has shown immense bravery to bring her to justice today.

“There is still a societal stigma surrounding male victims of abuse, especially that of a sexual nature. I hope today’s court outcome will showcase that young boys are just as vulnerable and that there is no shame for them to carry. Suffering in silence is never the answer, abuse is never the victim’s fault.

“We will continue to work around the clock to bring child predators before the courts and would encourage anyone who may have been abused in a similar way to come forward. The passage of time doesn’t matter.

“Child abuse cannot continue in Northern Ireland, we will do everything in our power to stop predators in their tracks and get victims the justice they deserve.

“If there are any young people out there who have been targeted and abused in a similar way, please come forward to us. We will help and support you.”