Sex teacher fights for permanent name suppression

A teacher jailed for having sex with two students aged under 16 has filed an appeal to get permanent name suppression.

The woman in her 30s, who cannot be named, admitted seven charges of sexual relations with minors and two charges of sending sexual material to minors at the Blenheim District Court in October.

She was sentenced in December to two years and six months’ imprisonment, and Judge Tony Zohrab refused an application for final name suppression.

The woman’s lawyers Jonathan Eaton, QC, and Miriam Radich indicated at the time they intended to appeal that decision, with interim name suppression granted for the duration of the appeal period.

That period was to end on Wednesday but an appeal was formally filed last week. Interim suppression would continue while the appeal was heard. A next appearance date had not been set.

The woman repeatedly took two young teenagers out of a Marlborough school at lunchtimes to have sex in her car in 2018, and sent them indecent images and videos.

She was employed at the school for about 12 years before her resignation last year.

While working at the school, she had formed sexual relationships with ‘‘a number of students’’, who tended to be from more vulnerable families, and were usually involved in sport, a police summary of facts said.

However only two students were under the legal age of consent, which formed the basis for the charges laid.

At sentencing, Eaton had argued for permanent name suppression, saying her children were already suffering negative effects at school.

Prosecution and the police opposed permanent name suppression, after the boys said they wanted her to be named, as long as their identities remained protected.

Stuff submitted against name suppression, along with other media outlets, arguing the community needed to be informed about her background, and a large proportion of the community already knew her identity anyway.

Crown prosecutor Mark O’donoghue said naming her could also result in other victims coming forward, and in a small community where news travelled fast, the suppression was somewhat meaningless anyway, he said.

Any hardship to her family from publication was a normal consequence of such offending, he said.

Judge Zohrab refused final name suppression, saying the effect on her family and her own mental health did not meet the high threshold of ‘‘extreme hardship’’ required for final name suppression.

She had already been automatically added to the sex offenders’ register.