By . Richard Spillett . Elaine McKay admitted sending a pupil explicit pictures  but denied grooming the boy and having sex with him. She was cleared of those offences today . A married teaching assistant who admitted sending explicit pictures of herself to a pupil more than 40 years  her junior has been cleared of grooming and having sex with the boy. Elaine McKay, 58, admitted sending a string of photographs to the 15-year-old schoolboy, including provocative images of herself posing topless. But she denied claims that the relationship escalated to the pair having sex, saying that the boy told a lie which got out of control. Jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court found her not guilty of one charge of intentionally touching a boy aged 15 by having full sex with him and one charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Judge Patricia Lynch said she would sentence McKay for an offence of causing a child to look at sexually explicit images next month. McKay, who was wearing a black suit and white blouse, sighed with relief as the verdict was returned. She was supported in court by her third husband and other members of her family. The prosecution claimed that she began to seduce the schoolboy while working at the 1,700-pupil Clacton Coastal Academy in Essex. She accepted she spent around a year inundating the youngster with X-rated Facebook and WhatsApp messages and naked photographs of herself and pictures of her knickers. But McKay, of Clacton, Essex, broke down in tears in the witness stand as she vehemently denied having sex with the youngster. She insisted the boy had initiated the inappropriate behaviour by 'pestering' her for 'sexy pictures'. She told jurors: 'He kept pestering and asking me 'Please, just one picture, just one picture, even if it's just a pair of knickers'.' McKay was working at the 1,700-pupil Clacton Coastal Academy when she met the teenager . McKay said the first explicit picture she sent him was a 'silly' picture of her shower that inadvertently had her underwear hanging in the background, and things had escalated from there. But she agreed that there came a time when she 'effectively gave him what he was asking for'. Asked why she sent the photographs, McKay sobbed: 'I have no idea whatsoever. This is my regret. I don't know, I don't know the reason.' McKay had told the court she feared the boy would expose her if she stopped sending him pictures . But she added: 'I would never have had sex with him. Nothing ever physical. I would never have had sex with him, ever.' McKay - who has been suspended from her job - told the court she was terrified the schoolboy would expose her if she stopped sending him the pictures. She said: 'Each time I refused him, he would get angry with me and I thought this it. He is going to tell somebody.' She admitted she was probably subconsciously sexually attracted to the teen and said she began sending pictures to the schoolboy for 'a joke' and 'banter'. She said she had being foolish in having an 'inappropriate relationship' with the teen and told jurors: 'I hold my hands up to it. It's my biggest regret.' Pressed over why she continued to send the explicit pictures, she said: 'I hated every minute of it. I sort of switched off. 'I just saw it as something I was doing. Something I didn't know how to get myself out of. I don't know why I did it, I feel like I'm not talking about me when I say it.' But she said she was too scared to put a stop to the relationship.
Elaine McKay admitted sending the teenager naked and topless photos .
She also inundated him with X-rated messages on Facebook and WhatsApp .
But she has always denied their relationship later became physical .
She was cleared of grooming and having sex with the teenager today .
McKay will be sentenced for causing a child to look at  explicit images .
By . Richard Spillett . Elaine McKay admitted sending a pupil explicit pictures  but denied grooming the boy and having sex with him. She was cleared of those offences today . A married teaching assistant who admitted sending explicit pictures of herself to a pupil more than 40 years her junior has been cleared of grooming and having sex with the boy. Elaine McKay, 58, admitted sending a string of photographs to the 15-year-old schoolboy, including provocative images of herself posing topless. But she denied claims that the relationship escalated to the pair having sex, saying that the boy told a lie which got out of control. Jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court found her not guilty of one charge of intentionally touching a boy aged 15 by having full sex with him and one charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Judge Patricia Lynch said she would sentence McKay for an offence of causing a child to look at sexually explicit images next month. McKay, who was wearing a black suit and white blouse, sighed with relief as the verdict was returned. She was supported in court by her third husband and other members of her family. The prosecution claimed that she began to seduce the schoolboy while working at the 1,700-pupil Clacton Coastal Academy in Essex. She accepted she spent around a year inundating the youngster with X-rated Facebook and WhatsApp messages and naked photographs of herself and pictures of her knickers. But McKay, of Clacton, Essex, broke down in tears in the witness stand as she vehemently denied having sex with the youngster. She insisted the boy had initiated the inappropriate behaviour by 'pestering' her for 'sexy pictures'. She told jurors: 'He kept pestering and asking me 'Please, just one picture, just one picture, even if it's just a pair of knickers'.' McKay was working at the 1,700-pupil Clacton Coastal Academy when she met the teenager . McKay said the first explicit picture she sent him was a 'silly' picture of her shower that inadvertently had her underwear hanging in the background, and things had escalated from there. But she agreed that there came a time when she 'effectively gave him what he was asking for'. Asked why she sent the photographs, McKay sobbed: 'I have no idea whatsoever. This is my regret. I don't know, I don't know the reason.' McKay had told the court she feared the boy would expose her if she stopped sending him pictures . But she added: 'I would never have had sex with him. Nothing ever physical. I would never have had sex with him, ever.' McKay - who has been suspended from her job - told the court she was terrified the schoolboy would expose her if she stopped sending him the pictures. She said: 'Each time I refused him, he would get angry with me and I thought this it. He is going to tell somebody.' She admitted she was probably subconsciously sexually attracted to the teen and said she began sending pictures to the schoolboy for 'a joke' and 'banter'. She said she had being foolish in having an 'inappropriate relationship' with the teen and told jurors: 'I hold my hands up to it. It's my biggest regret.' Pressed over why she continued to send the explicit pictures, she said: 'I hated every minute of it. I sort of switched off. 'I just saw it as something I was doing. Something I didn't know how to get myself out of. I don't know why I did it, I feel like I'm not talking about me when I say it.' But she said she was too scared to put a stop to the relationship.
grooming the boy and having sex with him. She was teaching assistant who admitted sending explicit her junior has been cleared of grooming and having sex with the boy. Elaine McKay, 58, images of herself posing topless. But she denied an offence of causing a child to look at sexually Facebook and WhatsApp messages and naked relationship.