Teacher jailed for having sex with autistic student

A former special education teacher in Brisbane, Australia, has been jailed 6.5 years for seducing an intellectually impaired student and having a lengthy sexual relationship with him.

The teacher, who cannot be named, was 23 at the time of the offences.

She would feed the autistic 14-year-old boy cannabis and alcohol before having sex with him in the back of her car, at her home, and before class in a park across the road from the school, reported Australian online publication MYGC. The school is in south-east Brisbane.

According to ABC.net, the Brisbane District Court was told she first invited the student to her home in 2011 and seduced him after the breakdown of a previous seven-year relationship left her feeling alone and depressed.

The sexual interaction continued for the next 18 months. The teacher's lawyer reportedly told the court that the relationship "made her feel like she was no longer alone and she was still somewhat desirable".

She also bought the teenager gifts such as an iPhone, an iPad, and a season pass to a theme park. The boy's mother had no clue and thought her son was spending time with the teacher's intellectually impaired brother, reported ABC.

The teacher had warned him not to tell anyone or she would go to jail. But when they broke up in mid-2012, the student began hurting himself and finally told his mother the truth.

Now 27, the woman pleaded guilty to seven offences yesterday, saying she was "extremely sorry, severely embarrassed and beyond ashamed".

This article was first published on August 28, 2015.
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