Predatory PE teacher who groomed three school pupils is convicted of string of sex crimes A former physical education teacher, Bronwen James, has been convicted of multiple sexual offenses against three school pupils. James, who previously claimed her impact on students was positive, was found guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old boy and had already admitted to grooming two other teenage girls. The court heard evidence of explicit messaging, physical groping, and attempts to manipulate the victims into normalizing the abuse. Writing on social media back in 2020, Bronwen James observed: 'The impact a teacher can have on a student's life is magnificent, that's why we do it. ' In reality, the 'impact' the blonde twenty-something PE teacher actually had on several of her pupils was life-changing for very different reasons. Yesterday, James was found guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old boy who attended the school where she taught in Southampton. She had denied the claims, telling Winchester Crown Court the teenager had made it all up to look 'cool' with his friends and insisting: 'It did not happen.' But the jury clearly believed that it was James who was the liar. And that was without knowing that this predatory paedophile had other victims. Because what can be revealed today is that ahead of her five-day trial, James had already admitted a string of sexual offences involving another pupil - a girl - at the same school.The now 30-year-old PE teacher had first started grooming the 13-year-old by sending her explicit photos and messages in which she outlined her sick fantasies. She then carried out sex acts on the girl, by then 14, in her car and at her home. The jury also did not know that, having left the Hampshire school, she moved to a school in Wiltshire where, within months of her arrival, she had targeted another 13-year-old girl.As with her other victims, James was said to have had a 'crush' on her and 'pursued' a relationship. Again she started by sending explicit images of herself to the teenager before discussing various sex acts that she wanted to perform on her. Kissing followed in her car, after which there was a trip to Alton Towers where James groped the child. She also persuaded her to send a naked photo.Following a complaint to police by the boy in late 2023, an investigation was launched and James was charged with a total of 13 offences against him and the two girls. She pleaded guilty to nine offences against the girls but denied those involving the boy.The boy claimed that James became 'flirtatious', organising meetings on social media platform Snapchat before inviting him to her home where they 'kissed and cuddled' in front of the TV while the Wimbledon tennis tournament was on, and then went upstairs to have sex. It was also claimed that she had named the boy 'Number 8' in her phone as a 'cover', suggesting he was 'the eighth man or boy she had slept with'.Prosecutors wanted to introduce 'bad character' evidence against James, arguing that details of her guilty pleas relating to the two female pupils should be shared with the jury. But the judge denied the application, meaning the court did not hear any details about what she had already admitted to. Giving evidence, James tried to paint the boy as a fantasist who had never been to her home.But after being told the pupil had taken photos inside her house with her dog, she was forced to admit she had lied to police, admitting there had been one occasion he was there. James was emotionless yesterday as she was found guilty of three charges of sexual activity with a child. She was cleared of a fourth charge.She was released on conditional bail but will be remanded in custody next week to be sentenced at a future date for all the offences, some of which carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Speaking outside court, Bethany Adams, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Bronwen James was trusted to educate and protect children. Instead, she used that trust to groom and sexually abuse three students.'James manipulated her victims with calculated precision, exploiting her position of authority to isolate them and normalise the abuse. This was not a lapse in judgment; it was a sustained pattern of predatory behaviour against children in her care.' Precisely what sparked James' slide from PE teacher to paedophile is unclear. But, by her own admission, she was emotionally immature and wanted to befriend pupils and win their favour. One of four siblings raised by their mother and stepfather in Chippenham, Wiltshire, James was a keen sportswoman, emerging from university with a qualification to teach PE.After a stint at Sports Direct where she posed for her local newspaper in an England shirt to mark the start of the 2016 Euros, at the age of 21 she completed her teaching training at £54,000-a-year Seaford College, a boarding school in West Sussex