Teaching assistant who tried to kiss special needs pupil spared jail

Mother-of-two texted boy to say 'you're sexy, you taste delicious,' court hears

Susan Ayres took the pupil to gym classes and they held hands on a trip to Weston-super-Mare during the month-long relationship (Facebook)

A teaching assistant has been given a 12-week suspended sentence after starting a relationship with a 17-year-old at a special needs school.

Mother-of-two Susan Ayres took the pupil to gym classes and they held hands on a trip to Weston-super-Mare during the month-long relationship, which followed the breakdown of her marriage.

Th 41-year-old, who has since reunited with her husband, had been working at the special needs school in Wiltshire for three years when the relationship began in April.

The boy left notes on Ayres' class board at the start of the school year and had also given her a Haribo ring in a "mock proposal".

Prosecutor Pauline Lambert said that in texts between the pair, Ayres also made "caring comments" and wrote "You're sexy, you taste delicious."

The boy, who has a tremor, told police that he had to pause his Playstation because she would text him a lot.

"After an incident with his dad, he'd gone for a drive with Ms Ayres," Ms Lambert said.

"When they went for drives, she said they had to be careful because she didn't want to get caught."

The boy said that on one of these drives she leant over to kiss him on the lips.

"He says he felt sorry for her so he kissed her hand," Ms Lambert said.

Ayres, of Swindon, Wiltshire, touched the boy on the leg, magistrates heard.

But she did not touch him anywhere else and he was clothed at the time.

The boy said Ayres once encouraged him to join his friend in taking off his shirt on one gym trip.

Ayres was also told by Swindon magistrates that she must complete 80 hours of community service and be placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

Magistrates heard that the boy had been "too scared" to tell teachers at the school. The month-long relationship was discovered by another teacher.

In a witness statement, the boy said he had been feeling suicidal.

"I walked into roads about five or six times," he said. "I had just had enough of it all."

The boy had been receiving counselling, the court heard.

Defending, Cathy Thornton said that at the time of the relationship Ayres was at a low point personally and professionally.

She painted a picture for magistrates of a "lady separated from her husband, struggling to cope emotionally".

Ayres was told to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation days with the probation service.

She must register as a sex offender for seven years. Magistrates also ordered her to pay £85 court costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

SWNS