Helen Cartwright initially embarked on a friendship with the 15-year-old.

But Wolverhampton Crown Court was told their liaisons, which initially involved 'hugging and kissing', became more intimate in May last year when Cartwright had sex with the youth in her marital bed at her home on the Russells Hall estate in Dudley.

The court heard that 42-year-old Cartwright has since continued her relationship with the boy and is now the mother of his five-month old baby.

The defendant, who at the time lived with her husband and children, was warned by a judge that she had been fortunate to escape immediate custody. Ms Sati Ruck, prosecuting, told the court: "It was the boy who instigated the sexual relationship when he slept with the defendant in her own bed."

Cartwright was arrested after Social Services were contacted.

The court was told during a police interview she admitted knowing the boy was underage. Contact between Cartwright and the boy stopped when police became involved but the relationship has continued since the birth of their child.

Ms Sharonjit Bahia, defending, told the court:

"She admitted her guilt in a police interview and made no attempt to hide her involvement."

Cartwright, of Langstone Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child under the age of 16. She was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years, with a two-year supervision order. She was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.