Former teaching assistant who kissed schoolboy back in court over change of address

A former teaching assistant who kissed a schoolboy found herself back in court for not correctly telling police about a change of address.
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Helen Turnbull, 40, made headlines around the country in 2014 when she went on trial after becoming “emotionally and physically” involved with the boy when her marriage was in trouble.

She was given a suspended prison sentence and made to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years after she admitted one count of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust.

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It related to her kissing the secondary school pupil in secret meetings in her Mini convertible.

Former teaching assistant Helen Turnbull admitted kissing a teenage boy and was cleared of three further allegations in 2014.Former teaching assistant Helen Turnbull admitted kissing a teenage boy and was cleared of three further allegations in 2014.
Former teaching assistant Helen Turnbull admitted kissing a teenage boy and was cleared of three further allegations in 2014.

Turnbull, a former literacy assistant. was cleared by a jury of three further counts relating to more serious allegations with the same boy.

As part of being on the sex offenders’ register, Turnbull has to keep police up to date about where she is living until 2021.

But when she moved from County Durham to Hartlepool earlier this year, she accepted she did not follow the rules properly as she notified police by telephone instead of in person.

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Jeff Taylor, prosecuting at Teesside Magistrates’ Court, said: “What she didn’t appear to do was in fact go to the police station and do it formally at the desk.

“There’s been a degree of negligence because of the way she has carried out things.

“She did give an indication how embarrassed she felt physically about being at the police station.

“The Crown accept at no stage did police not know where she was.”

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Turnbull, of Blake Street, Hartlepool, admitted one count of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the order between April 1 and 30 of this year.

Bill Davidson, defending , said in mitigation she had fully co-operated with Durham Police when she lived in the force area and even volunteered for programmes to help police monitor offenders.

“She told officers immediately she was going to move,” he said.

He added Turnbull had recently lost her job and had experienced family and mental health problems.

Magistrates fined her £80 for the breach and ordered her to pay £40 prosecution costs and a £30 victim surcharge.