Infatuated woman drama teacher, 26, who took 16-year-old pupil on hotel break for sex during school training weekend walks free

Kelly Burgess exchanged 12,000 texts with boy in just seven months

She had sex with 16-year-old at hotel where she was at training event

Walked free at Bristol Crown Court today with a suspended sentence

Banned from teaching and was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register



Relationship was only uncovered when he visited sexual health clinic

He sent Burgess naked pictures of himself via mobile app Snap Chat



Kelly Burgess, 26, exchanged more than 12,000 texts with the 16-year-old boy in just seven months

A drama teacher who had a fling with a pupil had sex with him at a hotel paid for by their school as part of a training weekend, a court heard.

Infatuated Kelly Burgess, 26, exchanged more than 12,000 texts with the 16-year-old boy in just seven months, including ‘explicit’ naked pictures.

Their relationship was only uncovered when the pupil visited a sexual health clinic and let slip who his lover was.

Yesterday Burgess sobbed hysterically as she was sentenced to ten months in prison, suspended for two years.

She had previously admitted four charges of abuse of trust – sexual activity with a boy aged 13 to 17.

Her barrister Raymond Tully insisted: ‘She is not a vamp or cougar, far from it.

‘She is just a young woman somewhat immature, somewhat mixed up who fell in love with the wrong young man.’



But Judge Euan Ambrose, sitting at Bristol Crown Court, declared: ‘You make it clear that you were both participating in what you thought was a relationship of equals, but it was quite clearly not a relationship of equals – you were at all times a teacher and he was a pupil.’

Suspending her sentence, he told Burgess that losing her teaching career was ‘the greatest punishment in many ways’.

The court heard the pair met during a school production in December 2012 and started their relationship in January 2013 – shortly before the trip to a hotel in Warwickshire.

They also went on a camping trip to Devon together in July.

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Hearing: Drama teacher Burgess arrives under an umbrella at Bristol Crown Court for her sentencing today

The pupil – who cannot be named for legal reasons – sent Burgess naked pictures of himself via the Snapchat mobile app and the pair exchanged thousands of texts.

Sam Jones, prosecuting, said: ‘More than 12,000 text messages were found passing between the defendant and the boy over a relatively short period of time. The messages are at times sexually explicit and sometimes intimate.’

Truth: Kelly Burgess' (pictured) secret came out when she travelled to a sexual health clinic on August 5 where the pupil made revelations about dating his teacher

Their secret came out when the pair went to a sexual health clinic in August, where the pupil made revelations about the fact he was dating his teacher and gave her name.

When the nurse said she had to report the news to the authorities the panicked student then returned with Burgess, who falsely claimed to be a 17-year-old, in an attempt to retract his statement.

Police were informed and Burgess, who worked at a secondary school in Somerset, was arrested later that month.

En route to the police station Burgess received a text message from the pupil that said: ‘Got the police round, don’t text back don’t be scared just get your story straight when they come to you. I will phone you later.’



The court heard that staff at the school became aware of the relationship and the headteacher was forced to warn the head of the drama department, who in turn spoke to Burgess.

Mr Jones added: ‘Police spoke to a number of members of staff employed at the school and there was some concern raised by other members of staff about the closeness of relationship of this defendant with students, in particular the use of social media to communicate with students.



The headteacher had raised the concern with the head of department who had raised it with the defendant.’

But Burgess, of Newport, South Wales, denied anything was going on with the pupil and the matter was left.

Found out: Burgess denied anything was going on. However, she finally admitted the relationship after police presented her with evidence of her text messages, and naked Snap Chat pictures of the boy on her laptop

She finally admitted the relationship after police presented her with evidence of her text messages and naked pictures of the boy saved on her laptop.

But she said she was not aware she had done anything illegal as the boy had reached the age of consent and the relationship was ‘loving and on equal terms’.

Mr Tully said his client had suffered depression following the deaths of her older brother, father and grandfather.

A victim impact statement from the pupil, now taking his A Levels, said he did not agree with the prosecution.