Female teacher jailed after 'full-blown sexual relationship' with 15-year-old pupil

Alice McBrearty pleads guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust

Alice McBrearty (Metropolitan Police/PA)

A teacher has been jailed after having a “full-blown sexual relationship” with a 15-year-old male pupil.

Alice McBrearty pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust and has been jailed for 16 months.

The 23-year-old taught at an east London school and kissed the boy, who cannot be identified, in a classroom, took him to an Ibis hotel for sex and engaged in sexual activity with him in her car.

Snaresbrook Crown Court also heard that McBreaty took the teenager to her parents' home in Wanstead Park, east London, where she performed sex acts on him.

McBrearty was described by Judge Sheelagh Canavan as a "bright, intelligent and gifted young woman, who knew right from wrong," but said she had committed the "grossest breach of trust".

"You engaged in a full-blown sexual relationship with a 15-year-old child.

"I accept he was consenting - what 15-year-old schoolboy would turn down such an attractive offer?" she said.

"I accept you truly believed this was a great romance, you were in love with him and vice versa, and that age didn't matter. But it did," the judge continued.

"You were supposed to keep him safe, to help him make the right decisions.

"Instead, you helped him make all the wrong ones."

The court heard the relationship began when McBrearty sent the boy a friend request on social media, which led to them going out for meals and going for strolls together.

The relationship came to an end when the victim's father contacted the police.

Emma Shafton, who was defending McBrearty, said her client was “not sexually attracted to children”.

"This is a young lady who has had a spectacular fall from grace - university educated, comes from a respectable family - she has been utterly disgraced by this."

"She will of course be branded a paedophile for the rest of her life. She is a sex offender,” she added.

"She has not been able to get a decent job that matches her qualifications. She has of course resigned from the teaching profession. She has been working on a zero-hours contract delivering parcels to Amazon."

Agencies contributed to this report