Teaching assistant who took boy home to see her sex toy collection faces jail

Teaching assistant who took boy home to see her sex toy collection faces jail Oliver Pritchard-Jones | Freelance news reporter Published October 10, 2026 11:24am Updated October 10, 2026 11:24am Melanie Rock at the crown court where she was found guilty of grooming and sexual activity with a child in a position of trust on Friday (Picture: Isle of Wight County Press/Solent News) A paedophile teaching assistant groomed a 15-year-old boy before taking him home and showing him her sex toys, see-through lingerie and bondage gear. Melanie Rock, 34, took the boy into her bedroom and gave him a ‘koala hug’, which involved her putting her arms and legs around him on her bed as well as lying down between his legs, her trial heard. She went on to try on a Harley Quinn costume, like the one worn by Margot Robbie in the Hollywood film Suicide Squad, which included a pair of ‘tight shorts’. Rock was arrested and charged after the sexual abuse, which took place in the autumn of 2023, came to light. On Friday, a jury at Isle of Wight Crown Court found her guilty of meeting a child following sexual grooming and sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. Judge James Newton-Price KC adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report to be prepared on Rock, from Cowes, Isle of Wight. She was released on bail until that hearing on December 4. Before bailing her, the judge said: ‘It’s obviously a serious matter. I am therefore going to ask a probation officer to interview you so I know more about you. The former teaching assistant contacted the boy, who was then 15, through Instagram and arranged to meet up (Picture: Island Echo/Solent News) ‘I am going to give you bail pending your sentencing but that is no indication one way or another on the eventual outcome. ‘This is serious, so the sentencing options must be open to me.’ The trial heard how Rock met the boy through her former role as a teaching assistant at Medina College on the Isle of Wight, where the boy was a pupil at the time. In the autumn of 2023, she asked her victim, who is now 18, for his Instagram account details before arranging to meet up in messages on the social media app. They initially went to an arcade where she gave him £25, bought him a tracksuit, vapes and took him for a meal at KFC, the trial heard. Rock also took the boy to her house and told him that he could ring his mother from her bedroom. While there, she showed him a bag containing sex toys, see-through lingerie and bondage gear and gave him a ‘koala hug’. A few days later Rock took the boy to a Pizza Hut restaurant where a teacher from Medina College recognised her. A jury disagreed with Rock’s denials and found her guilty of grooming the boy, who was then 15 (Picture: Simon Czapp/Solent News) She lied to him that the boy was her godson but suspicions were aroused and a senior member of the school’s staff spoke to the boy a few days later. When he told Rock, she replied: ‘F**k, I’m f***ed, I’m going to be sacked now they found out. ‘They are going to ask you questions: Who was it, how do you know her etc etc. If they know it was me, I’m f***ed. ‘I beg you, don’t say my name, please keep saying you were at the skatepark. ‘Please I beg, do not mention me, because I would be done, trust.’ Two days later, Rock was arrested at the school and interviewed by the police. When questioned, she claimed she had only met the boy by chance and that he had visited her home once. CCTV footage later showed them together at various locations on numerous days. Despite the evidence, Rock continually denied any sexual behaviour towards the boy, denied that she was sexually attracted to him and said she had only taken him to the Pizza Hut restaurant after bumping into him in the street. The jury disagreed and she faces up to 15 years in prison if the maximum punishment is applied for both offences. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Killer husband who contacted escorts while hiding wife’s body in freezer jailed for life Arrow MORE: Pregnant mum, 35, found dead in burning van ‘was alive when fire was started’ Arrow MORE: First picture of woman killed in ‘seaside axe attack’ as man charged with murder Breaking News Never miss the biggest stories with breaking news alerts in your inbox.