A mother-of-three has been jailed for three years after she slept with a teenage boy when he texted her asking: 'would you like to have sex?'

The boy, who was aged under 16 at the time, was keen to experiment sexually and sent the message 'just to see what she would say', a court heard.

She agreed to have sex and told him 'okay then' - but she later 'gave him the eye' on other occasions and sexual behaviour continued for 18 months.

Christine Mitchell, 42, from Manchester, admitted three offences of sexual activity with a child between October 2009 and May 2011.

Christine Mitchell, 42, was jailed for three years after admitting sexual activity with a child at a hearing at Grimsby Crown Court, pictured

Craig Lowe, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the woman had replied to the schoolboy asking whether anyone would find out and, when he reassured her, she sent a text saying: 'Okay then.'

By sending the messages, the boy had 'tried it on with the older woman'.

They went into her bathroom at her home, where they engaged in sexual activity.

There were other occasions when the boy claimed Mitchell 'used to give me the eye' and they had sex at addresses used by her.

The teenager later claimed: 'I didn't want to do it any more because I was disgusted in myself.'

Mr Lowe told the court: 'He didn't want to have sex any more. She said: 'Okay'.'

Mitchell later told police that the boy had supposedly 'pestered her' and that she felt under pressure, intimidated and too ashamed to tell anybody.

'I got fed up with saying 'no',' she claimed.

Jessica Strange, mitigating, said that Mitchell had struggled to come to terms with what she had done but did eventually face up to it by pleading guilty.

'When he said he wanted it to come to an end, it did,' said Miss Strange.

Mitchell had been in custody since July and was thoroughly ashamed of her actions.

The court heard the boy sent a text to Mitchell asking her if she wanted to have sex (file picture)

Judge Paul Watson QC told Mitchell: 'I accept that this was not a case when sexual activity, to begin with, was initiated by you.

'There is no element here of grooming or corruption of the boy concerned.

'It's always a serious offence to engage in sexual activity with children under 16.

'The law exists to protect children from themselves and you willingly engaged in sexual activity with him on a number occasions.

'These offences were extremely serious and only a custodial sentence can be justified.'