Female teacher jailed for sex with boys

SYDNEY - A female teacher has been sentenced to more than two years in prison by an Australian court for having sex with two teenage boys in her care, a media report said Tuesday.

The 25-year-old woman from the state of New South Wales, whose name has been suppressed, held her head in her hands while Perth judge Phillip Eaton recounted her indecent dealings with two boys, aged 15 and 16, the Australian news agency AAP reported.

The woman, who was a physical education teacher at a high school in Newman town in western Australia when the offences occurred, sent text messages to the boys, as well as nude and provocative pictures, the District Court heard.

The woman earlier pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual acts that happened between December 2009 and January 2010.

She invited them on separate occasions to her home, drank alcohol with them, and had sex with them in her bedroom, the report said.

Judge Eaton noted that the woman had a troubled past, including a history of alcohol and drug abuse.

The judge described the woman’s action as “self-destructive” and said it was a “pity” that her conviction meant she would never teach in an Australian school again.

The woman was sentenced to two years and four months in prison, but will be eligible for parole after serving 14 months.