Teacher accused of sex with pupil allegedly asked him: 'Who else can I be a slut with?'
Deborah Lowe sent card to 15-year-old when he blocked her on social media, court hears
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A teacher accused of having sex with a pupil sent him a card asking, “Who else can I be a slut with?” a court has heard.
Deborah Lowe sent the card to the 15-year-old when he blocked her on social media after she had sex with him at her house, Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told.
It was found by the boy’s mother and police were called, the jury heard at the start of Ms Lowe’s trial for sexual offences.
The card depicted a woman face down in grass with a short skirt on and revealing her knickers, and Ms Lowe wrote alongside it: “This is me after I found out you blocked me!”
Ms Lowe, who was responsible for pastoral care at the boy’s school, sent the card to him on her own birthday, the court heard.
Inside the 53-year-old wrote: “I’m a mess. You blocked me and I don’t know what I have done. Who else can I be a slut with?
“I would never, ever upset, hurt, harm or make you unhappy. So please tell me what I have done. Is it my fat old arse? It’s my birthday and I’m so sad.”
Ms Lowe, who also worked for Manchester City football club in a match day stewarding role, signed off: “I bloody miss you, love the slut.”
The defendant, of Elmsbed Caravan Park in Poynton, Cheshire, denies one count of sexual activity with a child and five counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.
Justin Hayhoe, prosecuting, told the jury that after Ms Lowe was arrested she gave a “no comment” interview to police but did give a prepared statement.
In it, she accepted she had been involved in a sexual relationship with the boy, but said it started when he was 17 so she was no longer in a position of trust as he had left school.
Mr Hayhoe added: “The issues really are at what point did this relationship commence? At 15, as the boy would say, or 17, as the defendant would say.”
Ms Lowe is also alleged to have had “telephone sex” with the boy – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – fondled and masturbated him, and had sex with him on a second occasion at her home.
She paid for a tattoo for the youngster while pretending to be his aunt, the jury heard.
The prosecutor told the jury it was the crown’s case that sex began when the boy was 15 and at school, and though he was not “forced or coerced” he was too young to consent by law.
On other occasions although the boy had turned 16 and could legally have sex, Ms Lowe had broken the law because she was a teacher and in a position of trust, he said.
The court heard the two first exchanged telephone numbers and had telephone sex before Ms Lowe progressed things further.
Mr Hayhoe said: “It was suggested by the defendant she could collect him, take him back to her home and they could engage in sexual intercourse, and that’s exactly what took place when he was a 15-year-old school pupil.”
The boy confided in friends what was going on and felt “embarrassed” before blocking her from contacting him on social media.
Phone records showed she called him on 16 March last year, in a call lasting 32 minutes, and a second call, lasting 33 minutes at 11.15pm, took place five days later.
She also sent him 68 text messages that month and 76 the following month, though the contents of the messages were not recovered by police, the court heard.
However, it was the card, found by the boy’s mother, that led to the police being contacted in the summer of last year, the court heard.
Mr Hayhoe added: “This defendant told him she was going to move abroad and the boy wanted to go with her. His mother was against it.”
She confronted her son and he told her what had been going on and police were called.
All the offences are alleged to have occurred between 1 April, 2015 and 30 June, 2016.
The trial was adjourned until Tuesday morning.
Press Association