A married religious studies teacher has been involved in a relationship with a 15-year-old female student, engaging in illegal sexual acts twice after school at a mall restroom. The teacher pleaded guilty today (March 24) in the District Court to two charges: illegal sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 and indecent assault and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.
The 41-year-old male defendant, referred to as "L.W.S.," is currently a substitute teacher at a secondary school. He is married and has a 5-year-old son. The defense described the relationship as an "illicit affair." They argued that the defendant feels ashamed of his actions and hopes to complete his sentence quickly to return home to care for his wife and son. To distance himself from the victim, he resigned from his teaching position and confessed to his wife, who had forgiven him.
The judge noted the significant age difference between the defendant and the victim, believing that the defendant exploited the teacher-student relationship, thus violating trust. Considering the defendant's marital status and the age gap, the court did not accept that he genuinely wished to develop a relationship with the victim. He was sentenced to 27 months for one charge and 18 months for the other, totaling 22 months in prison.
The case details reveal that the defendant began working as a religious studies teacher in 2009. The victim, referred to as X, enrolled in the same school in 2022, and the two became couples by the end of that year, breaking up by the end of 2023. The defendant resigned for personal reasons at the end of November 2023.
The situation came to light when X's father discovered conversations on her phone regarding sexual conduct with the defendant. He went to the school to inquire, and reported the matter, leading to the exposure of the incident.
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