A teacher is facing the prospect of imprisonment after engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student at a school where she was assigned to teach, as revealed in court proceedings.
Monique Nguyen, displaying a somber demeanor with her head lowered and face masked, made a swift entrance and exit from Parramatta District Court today.
The 30-year-old educator has admitted to the charges of having sexual intercourse with a student aged between 17 and 18, who was under her care. Additionally, she pleaded guilty to the charge of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.
Crown prosecutor Sarah Beaumont informed the court that Nguyen engaged in sexual activities with the student during school hours at a New South Wales institution, when she was supposed to be fulfilling her teaching duties.
Ms. Beaumont advocated for Nguyen to be taken into custody, highlighting the expectation that both students and parents have that educators will not misuse their entrusted roles.
“The offender exploited a special relationship,” Beaumont asserted, underscoring the breach of trust inherent in the act.
A sentence of imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence for the offences and the breach of trust they involved, she told the court.
But Nguyen’s lawyer argued the 30-year-old needs to be on bail to attend appointments for her mental health, which would be adversely impacted by a stint behind bars.
She has engaged in meaningful mental health treatment programs and made significant progress since being charged with the offences, the court was told.
Judge Anthony Colefax noted that progress would be halted if the teacher was taken into custody while awaiting sentencing.
He declined to grant the detention application, finding it was likely but not realistically inevitable that she would receive a full time jail term.
Nguyen also admitted to nine counts of sexually touching a person between 17 and 18 years old under special care, which will be taken into consideration when she is sentenced at a later date.
When the detention application was denied, the teacher – who wiped away tears throughout the proceedings – cried and embraced her family.
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