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Reason gym teacher, 30, had 'Number 8' nickname for student she ‘had sex with him at home while watching Wimbledon'
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The PE teacher who is on trial at Winchester Crown Court after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a pupil allegedly had a nickname for him.
Bronwen James, 30, has denied four counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.
The teacher from Chippenham, Wiltshire, also reportedly got the 16-year-old to call him 'Miss' during their sexual encounters.
According to the prosecution, their contact started during class at Bitterne Park School in Southampton.
James allowed students to use their phones, and the teen in question asked to add her on Snapchat, and while she refused at first, she eventually relented.
Before long, their messages 'became flirtatious' and they allegedly 'kissed in the car' during their first meet-up.
It also emerged that James saved him as 'Number 8' on her phone for a disturbing reason.
Explanation behind 'Number 8' nickname
Edward Culver, part of the prosecution, claimed James named the boy 'Number 8' in her phone contacts as a 'cover'.
It was suggested that he was 'the eighth man or boy she had slept with'.
The British teacher invited him to her home for sex up to four times, it was said in court.
The student said in a video interview with police that they were alone watching Wimbledon in her home when they first had sex.
According to the prosecution: “They began watching TV, before kissing and touching each other. She took her clothes off and then he took his clothes off.”
It was alleged that the gym teacher would organize their meetings on Snapchat, picking him up so they could kiss in the car in their 'sexually charged relationship'.
The court also heard that the Brit told him she 'loved him' and 'wanted to move away' with him.
It was alleged that they had unprotected sex, and that this happened on multiple occasions, allegedly four times in total, while they also messaged each other “daily”.
The boy admitted to the court that he was 'groomed' by James, though he thought at the time that it was 'great'.
The case reportedly came to light after another student showed a teacher messages between James and the victim.
James denies sexual relationship
The teacher was later interviewed under caution and gave a prepared statement denying any sexual relationship with the pupil.
She claimed she had received messages from an unknown number, which turned out to be the boy, and suggested he was “being put up” to make the allegations by another student.
Culver told the jury the central issue was whether the alleged encounters happened as described or not.
He argued that, whatever her motives, James acted “not only in an unprofessional and overfamiliar way, but failed to recognize any boundaries, exploiting her position to engage in sexual activity with one of her young students”.
The trial continues.