A school teacher in Perth, Australia, has been spared jail for having sex with a minor student, as the judge found her of "impeccable character" and not a predator.
The 37-year-old teacher reportedly was attracted to the 14-year-old boy, whom she taught in 2009, and started conversing with him via phone calls and emails, reports Western Australia Today. Over the course of time, their relationship went on to become more sexual and personal.
They had sex at the teacher's house one day – their only sexual encounter – and the relationship ended soon.
The case was heard by Judge Audrey Braddock at the District Court of Western Australia, who said that the woman did not use her position to groom or coerce the boy, who was described as "bold and a willing participant".
The Judge also ruled that the woman, who pleaded guilty in June last year of engaging in sexual behaviour with the teenager, is not a predator. All her character references described her as a "quiet, caring and a committed teacher". The Judge believed that she would not commit a similar offence again.
The woman, who is determined by the judge to be of "impeccable character", was reportedly lonely and vulnerable at the time of the offence, which probably clouded her judgement while engaging in a relationship with a child half her age.
"I do believe she formed a genuine but ill-placed attachment to the boy... It speaks of immaturity and an extreme lack of judgment on her part," said the Judge.
The teacher was sentenced to 21 months in prison but the sentence has been kept suspended for two years.
