Married teacher, 34, found guilty of having affairs with pupils

A MARRIED science teacher was yesterday found guilty of eight counts of abusing his position of trust by having affairs with schoolgirls he taught.

Steven Edwards, 34, was convicted of having affairs with three pupils aged between 14 and 16 over a four-year period at the East Yorkshire school where he taught.

Two charges relating to a fourth schoolgirl will be left to lie on file after the jury at Hull Crown Court failed to reach verdicts.

Edwards is the second teacher at the same school to be convicted of child sex offences in the last year.

Judge Michael Mettyear remanded him in custody to be sentenced today.

Edwards’ wife, Sandra, collapsed in tears as the unanimous verdicts were read out.

Outside the courtroom she screamed and shouted, “He’s innocent”, before trying to throw herself off the first floor balcony of the court building. She was comforted by several family members before ambulance paramedics arrived.

Minutes earlier, Edwards stood in the dock and showed no emotion as the jury of six men and six women found him guilty of the eight counts following about three and a half hours of deliberations.

The court heard Edwards had sex with one girl on multiple occasions on the school premises in a toilet. His first victim, 20, fled in tears while giving evidence.

Edwards denied a total of seven charges of abusing a position of trust by engaging in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, and three charges of abusing a position of trust by having sexual intercourse with a child under 18.