A PE teacher accused of having sex with a teenage pupil told a court she wanted to be liked and found it hard to “say no”.
Bronwen James, 30, told a jury she felt she was immature, easily influenced and very lenient with pupils, while teaching physical education classes at Bitterne Park School in Southampton, Hampshire.
But she denies flirting with a 16-year-old and going on to have sex with him.
And she suggested the teenager had made up the allegations to look “cool” in front of his mates, she told Winchester Crown Court.
James, of Chippenham, denies four counts of sexual activity with the teenager.
Giving evidence from the witness box in her own defence, James said she began teaching aged just 21 and described herself as “immature” and conceded she did not think she was a good teacher.
Full access to all of our articles online and on the app, fewer adverts, a better reading experience, exclusive competitions and more - all for less than the price of a cup of coffee. ☕️
Subscribe now! - https://t.co/AQ9XF2gcO2 pic.twitter.com/bYvsD2lw5e— Gazette & Herald (@wiltsgazette) April 13, 2026
She said: “I just don’t think I was ready for it. As my career progressed, I realised maybe I was seeking validation from the wrong people.
“I think I was a very lenient teacher, I was not strict, there were behaviour policies I would not necessarily follow, such as using mobile phones in lessons.
“But I did not want to upset them, I did not want to anger them. I wanted them to like me.”
James suggested leaving her phone on her desk while she was teaching in class may have given the teenager an opportunity to get access to her Snapchat account and they exchanged some messages.
But she told the jury it was only “brief” conversations and not constant exchanges.
Heather Stangoe, defending, asked James why she had communicated with a student when she knew this was against the rules as a teacher.
James said: “I think I wanted to be liked. I did not want to let people down. I was easily influenced.
“I found it hard to say ‘no’ to people I wanted to please.”
The defendant admitted there was “banter” with pupils in her class, but said it was never of a sexual nature.
And she denied “flirting” with the teenager or supplying him vapes and said an occasion when he allegedly slapped her bottom never happened.
But she admitted later lying to police, claiming he had never visited her home in Fareham as she did not want the situation to “blow up”.
She told the jury she was out walking her dog and the teenager messaged her asking for a lift home.
James said she agreed as it was on the way to her home and picked the youngster up in her car.
But she said she drove to her house first to drop the dog off and use the toilet, before taking him home and dropping him off.
She maintained no sex took place and he remained downstairs.
In cross-examination, Edward Culver, prosecuting, suggested she gave the boy a lift because she had flirted with him and she had breached the teacher-student boundary by communicating with him on social media.
James replied: “Like I said, I found it difficult to say no.”
Read more
Could hailing a taxi in Wiltshire soon become a thing of the past?
High street bank issues statement as it prepares to shut branch
African music festival scrapped and moving to new location in UK
Mr Culver suggested the boy was in her car and was able to provide police with an accurate sketch plan of her home upstairs because they had sex there and were in a relationship.
He continued: “Is there any reason why he would tell these horrible, monstrous lies?”
James replied: “Maybe he wanted to look cool in front of his mates.”
Mr Culver continued: “I suggest there’s a lot of mysteries in this case.
It’s wholly implausible he was able to provide that plan unless he had been in your bedroom a number of times.
“It’s all explained by you having a relationship with him, having sexual activity with him.
There’s no other plausible explanation.”
James replied: “It did not happen.”
Earlier, jurors were told James was “flirty” with the youngster and “abused her position of trust” and after exchanging Snapchat messages they had sex at her home three or four times, it is alleged.
The school was made aware of the incidents after another student showed a teacher some text messages apparently sent between the defendant and the boy.
The boy told police: “I thought this was great, any teenage boy’s dream, but I think it was wrong, at the time I wasn’t thinking that.”
The trial was adjourned until Tuesday morning.
Share