A teacher groomed a vulnerable 14-year-old pupil – before claiming that he raped her.
Judith Evans, 33, from Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, who was a teacher at the Belfast Boys Model School, has been jailed for two years, serving another two years on licence.
Judge Patricia Smyth condemned the mum-of-two’s conduct saying she “groomed this child, who was vulnerable by reason of age and personal circumstances, basking in his adolescent attraction towards her”. Evans has also been banned from teaching and is subject to a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order barring her from working with children.
The defendant eventually admitted eight charges having initially denied the allegation and accused her young victim of raping her while being in “complete control”. Evans was sentenced for sexual communication with a child, three counts of meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual activity with a child involving penetration, causing a child to watch a sexual act and possessing indecent images of the schoolboy.
These offences were committed between March 1 and May 17, 2024. Evans also admitted a charge of perverting the course of justice between June 13 and 27, 2024 by making a false allegation that she was sexually assaulted by the teenager.
Belfast Crown Court heard that as well as driving the teenager to Black Mountain where unprotected sexual intercourse occurred in her car on April 26, 2024, the pair also exchanged a total of 9,528 text messages – a majority of which were highly sexually explicit. This communication, which was deleted by Evans but recovered from her phone by the PSNI, also included videos Evans sent to the teenager of her naked in the bath. Indecent images of the teenager were also located on Evans’ phone.
Evans’ offending began when the teenager was going through a hard time. Noticing a change in his demeanour at school, Evans began keeping him behind after class and asking if he was okay. He then opened up to her and after offering support and reassurance, Evans gave him her personal email address and mobile number.
The teacher and pupil then began texting each other with Judge Smyth noting that “from an early stage they contained inappropriate sexual suggestions”. Over the Easter holidays the communication escalated with Evans sending the teenager sexualised images of her and expressing her desire to have sex with him.
When school commenced again after the Easter break, they texted each other during class when she made what the Judge described as “inappropriate” comments about his appearance. What followed was the incident at Black Mountain with two further meetings taking place outside school where sexual activity occurred.
At the start of May last year, a concern was raised with the school that Evans was showing favouritism towards the teenage boy. Evans’ response was to suggest that the teen was troubled, telling a senior staff member “I’m not blowing my own trumpet but relationships are my strength”.
Evans’ campaign of offending emerged on May 17, 2024 when the teenager’s girlfriend found messages on his phone from ‘Jude’. The teenager told his girlfriend he had been cheating on her, he threatened to kill himself and after his family became aware of what had occurred, the police became involved.
The court also heard that prior to this, Evans became involved in her victim’s family life and contacted his mother on several occasions. This included Evans calling the teenager’s mother on April 19, 2024 saying she wanted to keep him after class for revision. When he returned home that afternoon, the boy looked dishevelled with this tie undone and shorts buttons open.
After disclosing to his family what had happened, Evans was arrested on May 17, 2024 and during an interview on that date, she adopted a ‘no comment’ stance. During a second interview on June 14, she claimed the teenager threatened her and raped her in her car and that she tried to ‘shut it down’. Judge Smyth said: “Every aspect of that account was false.”
Evans also told police that he told her he would show her a picture of him holding a gun and that his father was in the UDA. The Belfast Recorder spoke of Victim Impact Statements compiled by both the teenager and his parents and revealed that both the teenager and his mother are receiving counselling.
The Judge said these statements “describe in detail the devastating impact this course of offending has had on each of them as individuals and on their collective family life”. The young victim spoke of the fear he now feels at school, the lies he said Evans forced him to tell and that he has to ‘live forever with regret and shame’ and is concerned about trust issues.
His mother spoke of her shame and guilt that she couldn’t protect her son, she feels betrayed by Evans and is angry that her son’s childhood has been destroyed. His father spoke of his fears for his son’s future and mental health, and how he can protect him from predators.
Judge Smyth said: “There is no question that the defendant’s behaviour and the aftermath of the discovery of these offences has had a profound affect on this young victim and his family. Teenagers need protection because their immaturity prevents them from appreciating the long-term harm caused by inappropriate sexual activity.”
She also cited several aggravating factors including the breach of trust, the “repetitive and intense nature of the sexual communication” and the “significant” difference in age between Evans and her victim. Turning her attention to Evans, Judge Smyth acknowledged that she had a clear criminal record. As Evans wept in the dock, the judge said her two children are now being cared for by their father and that she was “struggling to cope with her current circumstances”.
She added that whilst Evans has reported a number of traumatic events in her life, there have been expressions of remorse, guilt and the harm she has caused but a lack of an explanation regarding her offending. The judge said: “In truth, there is no explanation other than a selfish desire for attention and intimacy which she considered was lacking in her relationship at that time.”
Saying that Evans has accepted “she will never teach again”, Judge Smyth imposed the jail term and the five-year SOPO as well as determining that Evans will be on the Sex Offenders Register “for life”, reported the Irish Mirror.
Reacting to the sentencing, PSNI 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.”