A SUPPORT teacher has been cleared of sleeping with a teenage pupil -- but now faces an investigation into her conduct by education bosses.

Zoe Susanne Morgan, 32, wept tears of joy as the unanimous not guilty verdicts to five charges were read out after just 30 minutes deliberation by a jury.

But the support assistant from Hapton now faces a fresh battle to return to work after education bosses revealed she was still suspended pending their own investigation into her conduct.

During the week-long trial Ms Morgan admitted kissing the schoolboy and becoming 'emotionally involved' with him, though she denied any sexual relationship.

Miss Morgan's acquittal on five charges of sexual activity with a child following a week-long trial at Burnley and Preston Crown Courts came as the Government issued new guidelines to speed up the process of dealing with allegations against teachers.

Unions said the case showed the risks teachers faced of spurious allegations being made against them.

The police said they would continue to thoroughly investigate all allegations.

Miss Morgan, of Leigh Park, had been accused of having a six-week relationship with a Barden High School pupil, during which it was claimed she had sex with him twice and performed sex acts on him.

In fact, the court heard, the support teacher was being blackmailed by the boy, who cannot be named, and a group of his friends.

She admitted kissing him in her car to try and get rid of him after he constantly "pestered" her.

The teenager and his friends threatened to 'ruin' the teacher, the court heard, unless she took them to her house and for rides in her car.

Miss Morgan, a mother-of-one, told the court that she had been terrified of losing everything if the boys had told the school authorities about the kiss.

She said: "They said if I reported it they could make it worse and could ruin me totally.

"I was frightened and scared.

"The boys were coming up to me and saying if I did not take them for a spin in my car they would tell everybody and I would lose my job and my daughter."

Miss Morgan admitted the boys had been to her house but said she had not wanted them there and had never given them alcohol or cannabis, as was alleged.

She said the threats had made her 'emotionally run-down' but that she had been so afraid that she did not tell anyone, including her boyfriend and mother, what was going on.

At one stage, the support teacher told the court, she even sexually attacked by the boy in her car as they drove near Gisburn, an attack he later claimed was a sex act performed by her.

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said today: "Ms Morgan remains suspended and will be subject to the school's internal disciplinary procedures."