Devoted dad stood by his daughter in court
THROUGHOUT her two-week trial, one person was never more than a few feet away from Rebecca Joynes – her devoted father Stuart.
Every morning outside court, the 54-year-old tearoom owner was at her side as she arrived, usually with an arm around her waist, inset.
Mr Joynes and Mel, his wife of 32 years, sat in the public gallery – just a few feet from members of both her victims’ families.
Just how close Joynes was to her parents became clear.
During evidence she became tearful and had to pause as she spoke of seeing her mother and father after first being questioned by police in October 2021. Joynes wiped her eyes as Judge
Kate Cornell told her:
“Just take your time.”
The Audi-driving teacher
– who was then aged 28 – said she’d had to stay in a hotel room as her Salford Quays apartment was still a “crime scene”.
At 5.30am, her parents arrived and told her they were taking her back to Heswall in the Wirral, which she referred to as “home” despite having her own flat.
“I don’t think I got out of bed for a while,” Joynes said. “My mum and dad were really supportive once I’d opened up to them about the situation.”
Joynes said they let her work in the family business, Isabelles, adding: “I tried to surround myself with people who cared for me.”
Their generosity also featured in her evidence, with Joynes mentioning a designer bracelet they had bought her – she claimed Boy A had admired it and initially asked her to buy him jewellery before instead agreeing on a £345 Gucci belt.
The tea-room is popular in upmarket Heswall, with Mr Joynes pictured online with customers including former Tory minister Edwina Currie.
Established 12 years ago, the business has evidently been a success, with Mr Joynes sharing photographs on Instagram of flying Virgin Upper Class to Barbados as a joint 50th birthday treat for him and his wife in 2019.