Trial starts for teacher accused of sexual 'relationship' with 15-year-old schoolboy

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged child abuse.

A jury trial has started against a teacher accused of having a sexual ‘relationship’ with a 15-year-old boy she originally met while she was working at his school.

However, defence lawyers for the woman say while she did send him revealing photos and money, and spent time with him, he’d told her he was 16.

The woman, who currently can’t be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to seven charges when her trial began in the ACT Supreme Court this week before the 13 jurors heard the lawyers’ opening submissions on Tuesday (17 September).

Prosecutor Emilija Beljic alleged that in late 2020, the then-24-year-old woman had become a prac teacher at a school in Canberra as part of her studies for her university degree when she “met and cultivated a romantic relationship” with a 15-year-old schoolboy.

She said the boy was not in the class the teacher was working in, but she met him at the school, and there was “no doubt” the boy was “quite flirty” with her.

The teacher left that school and started work at another, but the pair allegedly started talking on the social media apps Instagram and Snapchat after the boy sent her a message.

“We can’t talk on here, I’m going to get in trouble,” she allegedly told him on social media.

They stopped speaking for some months, but after running into each other in the community, they began talking over social media again, and he allegedly told her he “wouldn’t tell anyone”.

The teacher allegedly bought the boy gifts, like designer clothing and vapes, and gave him money and lifts in her car.

Ms Beljic alleged that in early 2021, the boy asked the teacher to send him explicit pictures and she went on to send him photos and videos of herself in lingerie, as well as of her genitals and performing a sex act on herself.

She also allegedly asked him for pictures, saying, “Where’s my photos and videos?”

When the boy later learned of the police investigation into her, he claimed he deleted the images because he didn’t want to get her in trouble.

But earlier, the teacher allegedly performed an act of indecency on the boy while they were in her car in May 2021, then they reportedly took a photo together while she was partially undressed that June.

Ms Beljic said it was another student who first reported the alleged relationship to school staff. The allegations then made their way to police.

The prosecutor said police installed a listening device in the teacher’s car and recorded the pair “discussing Valentine’s Day”. When police interviewed the teacher and asked her about her relationship with the boy, she said she helped him with assignments and lifts, saying, “We just became friends”.

The teacher’s defence barrister, Sam Pararajasingham, said parts of the case were not in dispute.

He said from 2021, there was significant contact and communication between his client and the boy, “and from time to time [she] and [the boy] hung out”.

“From time to time, on his request, [she] transferred small amounts of money to [him],” he said.

Mr Pararajasingham said in mid-2021 after the boy made “persistent requests”, she “relented” and sent him revealing images.

“She believed on reasonable grounds that [the boy] was 16 years old,” he said. He said it was the boy who told her he was 16.

The barrister said after the boy turned 16 in the second half of 2021, the nature and the contact between them “increased” and the police intercepts “reflects the closeness between the two” from then.

However, Mr Pararajasingham said his client denied committing any sexual or indecent act on the boy, grooming him, encouraging him to commit a sexual act or giving him cannabis.

He said the key issue in the trial was the boy’s credibility, as the boy admitted he “lied to people about the nature of the relationship” and “overstated and exaggerated” their relationship.

During the boy’s interview with police, which was played to jurors, he said the pair had never actually had sex or kissed on the lips.

The teacher pleaded not guilty to single counts of the persistent sexual abuse of a child, making pornographic material available to a young person and supplying cannabis to a young person, as well as two counts each of grooming and committing an act of indecency.

The trial is expected to run for two weeks before Acting Justice John Burns.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.