Dublin teacher jailed for having sex with her pupil

A female teacher who twice had sex with one of her pupils has been sentenced to a year in jail at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The woman, who was 23 at the time, was working as a substitute English teacher and the boy was 16, Irish national broadcaster RTÉ reported.

They first had sex on the boy's 16th birthday and then again 12 days later at a hotel.

The court heard the teacher believed the age of consent was 16, not 17.

But the woman, who has since been disqualified as a teacher, now accepted she was wrong and was truly sorry for what she had done, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement, the boy said he had developed psychological problems and anxiety following what he believed was a relationship with the teacher.

The pair met in a nightclub in 2017, when the boy was 15, and she gave him a hug. They continued to communicate in school and over Snapchat.

She took him for a drive in January 2018 and subsequently bought him a birthday present and met him on his birthday when they engaged in sexual activity, including intercourse.

On the second occasion, they ate in a hotel restaurant before staying overnight.

The boy's mother said she knew her son was in a relationship, but he would not bring his girlfriend home.

She asked a neighbour and one of the boy's friends, and found out that he was in a relationship with a teacher.

She went to the school before reporting the matter to gardaí (Irish police).

The teacher was arrested at Dublin Airport last October and made a full confession.

Judge Martin Nolan said the teacher had abused the trust put in her, adding that her actions were unethical.

Although she was unlikely to re-offend, he said an immediate custodial sentence was necessary, sentencing her to three years in jail with the last two years suspended.

Her name has been added to the sex offenders' register.