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A school teaching assistant groomed a vulnerable pupil then arranged to meet him at a hotel bedroom for sex.

Lydia Beattie-Milligan told the schoolboy she might love him, saying: "OMG I cannot stop thinking about you, but I know it is wrong."

The 43-year-old later claimed she was helping the boy, who had anxiety issues, and that an offer to give him a massage was just a joke.

The married mum-of-two insisted she only booked the hotel room to explain that she had crossed a boundary in their relationship.

But a trial heard sordid text messages, including the trained masseur telling him he was amazing, and that she couldn't sleep or eat.

(Image: Lynda Roughley)

And she told a friend she was buying sexy underwear, planned to look amazing and give him a lap dance ahead of "major f***ing".

A jury took just over an hour to unanimously find Beattie-Milligan guilty of arranging to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Beattie-Milligan, of Kingsley Close, Lydiate , had denied the charge and claimed: "I have 100% no interest in children in a sexual way."

Concerns about the mum arose when a member of staff noticed she was paying the boy particular attention and "acting too familiar with him".

After Beattie-Milligan gave him bonus points in class, the staff member joked with the boy that he must be her favourite, and he showed him his mobile phone with messages arranging the Saturday night hotel rendezvous.

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Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court she was suspended and police were informed, but she made no comment in interview.

A colleague believed Beattie-Milligan - described by a friend as "Mrs Robinson" from the film The Graduate - was meeting an agency teacher at the hotel, with whom she had been in a relationship and would exchange flirty messages.

Ms Mottram said: "She recalls that Lydia had been excited about the meeting and that she had bought new underwear… the Crown say she was clearly anticipating a sexual encounter."

Beattie-Milligan told the trial she knew it was against school policy to take pupils' phone numbers, but had the boy’s to "support him".

Asked about sending him a message saying "Can’t wait to see you tomorrow.xx", she claimed to "give everyone a kiss on texts".

Beattie-Milligan said: "I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. With hindsight, yes, it was completely inappropriate."

After she text saying that she cared about him and he replied that he cared about her, the boy asked if she loved him.

She replied: "OMG I cannot stop thinking about you but I know it is wrong. You do batter my head, so maybe."

The victim's mum today said her son had since threatened to take his own life - on more than one occasion.

She said he was angry and emotional, no longer trusted professionals and wouldn't talk to his family about what happened.

The mum said he had "gone off the rails", wasn't eating or sleeping, and another family member had required counselling.

Beattie-Milligan, of previous good character, was supported by her husband - who sat in the public gallery - during the trial.

(Image: Lynda Roughley)

But Jason Smith, defending, today said: “She finds herself this morning before the courts with her life absolutely in ruins, her marriage perhaps unsurprisingly has collapsed and that will lead in due course to her living with her mother.

“Her employment prospects are bleak in the extreme because she has always with diligence and with professionalism worked in this field and worked impeccably and it’s a very unusual, curious feature of this case that this woman, with such a background, with such dedication, goes off the rails to this extent and behaves in a manner which is, as she will have to accept in due course, abhorrent in many ways.”

He added: "For a period of less than two weeks she has thrown her whole life, her marriage, house, employment, all into chaos."

Mr Smith said she didn't send any sexually explicit texts or pictures to the boy and any "sexual context" came from saying what she would do in messages to friends.

He said she had mental health problems and urged the judge to spare the mum prison, because of the impact that jailing her would have on her son and daughter.

Judge Gary Woodhall said he was perfectly satisfied Beattie-Milligan was intending to have penetrative sex with the child.

He said: "It's clear to me you were sexually attracted to this boy, you were infatuated with him and you were encouraging similar feelings within him."

The judge said she talked about her weekend plans with a colleague, suggesting it was with an adult, as a "cover" for what she was really doing.

(Image: Lynda Roughley)

He said: "You referred to trimming your body hair, you said you were going to make sure you were looking amazing, that you were going to do a lap dance for him and get some sexy underwear and in your words - not mine - in one text saying "major f***ing going on".

Judge Woodhall said reports showed she had crossed boundaries with children before, though not sexually, seemingly out of a need to feel valued.

He said she denied any sexual motivation for her actions, but that he rejected this and it was a gross breach of trust.

Judge Woodhall said: "As a result of what you did in this incident, your life has collapsed around you.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

"Your employment prospects are seriously reduced, your marriage is finished, you have difficulty in contact with your children and in all likelihood you will lose your home."

He ordered her to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Judge Woodhall jailed Beattie-Milligan for two years, who turned to her mum in the public gallery and said: "Tell the kids I love them."