A teacher who groomed and sexually abused a teenage pupil has been described as a “cold, calculating child predator”.
Judith Evans (33) was jailed for two years at Belfast Crown Court on Friday for a series of sexual offences against a schoolboy. She was placed on the sex offender register for life and disqualified from working with children.
The court heard that when police confronted Evans with her crimes, she falsely claimed her teenage victim had threatened and raped her.
Judge Patricia Smyth said there were close to 10,000 text messages exchanged between the teacher and pupil.
The judge said the teacher, a mother of two, basked in her victim’s “adolescent attraction towards her”.
Evans, from Elmwood Grove in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, was a teacher at Belfast Boys’ Model School when the offences occurred.
Following sentencing, PSNI detective chief inspector Jill Duffie said: “Evans is a cold, calculating child predator who was in a position of trust and abused that position by taking advantage of a young boy who was her pupil at the time.
“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.”
Evans initially denied the charges but later pleaded guilty to eight sexual offences committed against the teenage boy.
The admitted charges 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 1st and May 17th, 2024.
She further admitted a charge of perverting the course of justice.
The judge said the child she groomed was vulnerable because of family circumstances.
The judge said the text messages contained “inappropriate sexual suggestions” from an early stage and escalated to sexual photos being sent to the boy during the Easter holidays in 2024.
“Within a matter of weeks the defendant was inviting the victim to meet her,” the judge said.
“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 court heard Evans phoned the victim’s mother regularly 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 his family became aware of what had occurred, the police became involved.
When interviewed by police, Evans claimed the boy had threatened and raped her and that his dad was connected to the Ulster Defence Association.
“Every aspect of that account was false,” the judge said.
Evans was sentenced to four years, with half of that term to be spent in custody.
Speaking outside court, Ms Duffie said the victim has suffered greatly with mental health struggles and has shown “immense bravery” in bringing Evans to justice.
“There is still a societal stigma surrounding male victims of abuse, especially that of a sexual nature,” said Ms Duffie.
“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,” she said. -PA
