A disgraced teaching assistant at a Manchester school has walked free from court despite admitting having sex with a teenage student.

Caroline Berriman escaped jail after coming clean about the relationship with the teenage boy at Abraham Moss Community School in Crumpsall last year.

The relationship started when Berriman was working as a classroom teaching assistant at the north Manchester school.

Berriman, now 30, has since left Abraham Moss, having been suspended when the allegations against her were first made.

She was hauled before the courts in July, but the case was adjourned when she fell ill.

Berriman was sentenced this week, but avoided being sent straight to prison.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child - and a further charge of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.

Berriman, of Manor Close in Chadderton, Oldham, was handed a two-year sentence, suspended for two years at Minshull Street Crown Court, having pleaded guilty to all three charges at an earlier hearing.

She faces 250 hours of unpaid community work - and was ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge.

Berriman must also obey a restraining order prohibiting her from contacting or seeing the victim - who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The teenager, who did not attend court, has now left the school.

The court heard that Berriman engaged in oral and penetrative sex with the student knowing he was unable to consent as he was not 16.

She admitted she committed the offences while exercising a degree of responsibility for the teenager’s education - and that she had exploited her position of trust.

Abraham Moss, on Crescent Road in Crumpsall, has 1,600 students aged five to 16 and was Manchester’s first ‘through school’ with primary and secondary pupils.

Ofsted bosses downgraded it to ‘requires improvement’ from good last year.

The school said Berriman is no longer employed there - and that she was suspended as soon as bosses became aware of the allegations.

Headteacher Gillian Houghton said: “Safeguarding pupils is a number one priority for us and we take it extremely seriously.

“This person was suspended as soon as the allegations came to light and no longer works at the school.”