Teaching assistant, 23, bought pupil, 14, ‘his favourite sweets’ and McDonald’s before sex by Wilko

A TEACHING assistant who had sex with a 14-year-old pupil bought the boy sweets and junk food before taking advantage of him.

Hannah Harris, 23, also let the teenage student smoke cannabis in her car.

Harris, who was 21 at the time, was jailed for six years after being found guilty of sexual activity with a child.

She was placed on the sex offenders register "indefinitely".

The former school worker of Henlow, Beds, had denied the charges.

St Albans Crown Court earlier heard how she had driven him to the supermarket "to buy his favourite sweets," bought him McDonald's and allowed him to smoke cannabis in her car.

She then had sex with the boy in a Wilko car park after posing as the mum of his fictional girlfriend - who she named "Kayla" - to speak to his parents over texts.

Harris was caught in January 2020 when the boy’s older brother found out about the nature of his relationship with the teacher at his school in Hoddesdon, Herts.

The boy admitted "Olivia" and "Kayla" were fictional.

Sentencing Harris yesterday, Judge Caroline Wigin told her: "Your conduct has had a devastating effect upon the life of that young man."

She found that Harris's behaviour was an "abuse of trust", "constituted grooming" and involved "significant planning".

"I find that you disregarded all the warnings that you had," Judge Wigin said.

";You were well aware, I find, that his messages should have been screenshotted by you and reported to senior staff. You did not do that."

Harris began sobbing as the judge handed down the sentence.