Pregnant special education teacher who allegedly groomed and had sex with a 15-year-old schoolboy breaks down in tears as she fronts court
A special education teacher charged with grooming and having sex with a 15-year-old boy will be released on bail due to her 'high risk' pregnancy.
Karly Rae was arrested in October at her home in Merewether in the NSW Hunter region after she allegedly had sex with the teenager from her school.
The schoolboy is not believed to require special needs support.
The incident allegedly occurred some time between 6pm on October 4 and 12.30pm the following day, court documents seen by The Daily Telegraph said.
The former teacher has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. There is no suggestion the teenager is the father of her unborn child.
During a bail hearing on Friday, the court heard Rae had initially been granted bail following her arrest but was thrown behind bars three months later.
The court heard she rang the teenager five times in two hours to get him to 'give a false version of events' on January 14, allegedly breaching an apprehended domestic violence order in place to protect the 15-year-old.
She was subsequently arrested and has been in custody for the last four months.
On Friday, Justice Dhanji granted Rae bail under strict conditions, citing her 'high risk' pregnancy as a key reason.
'The applicant is 23 weeks pregnant, due to give birth in September,' he said.
At the mention of her pregnancy, Rae could be seen sobbing silently on the video link she used to join the court hearing.
Justice Dhanji noted the pregnancy was 'complicated' and 'high risk' due to her gestational diabetes, as well as her previous experience with miscarriages.
He said due to the nature of the allegations against Rae, the child would not be able to stay with her if she remained in custody.
Addressing her previous breach of bail, he acknowledged she did attempt to dissuade the teenager from giving an 'accurate version of events'.
He said Rae was 'no longer able to work as a teacher' and it is 'highly improbable that there would be any attempt by the applicant to engage in sexual activity with a child'.
At least 14 bail conditions have been applied, including home detention, no social media, and the requirement to report to Toronto Police Station three days a week.
Earlier this week, Rae appeared on a video link at Newcastle Magistrates Court where she pleaded not guilty to five charges.
These included aggravated sexual intercourse with a child aged between 14 and 16, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and possession of child abuse material.
She is also facing charges of do act to pervert the course of justice and contravene apprehended violence order after the incident in January.
The charges against her of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child aged between 14 and 16 and produce child abuse material have been dropped.
Rae's case will go to trial in the District Court and will be arraigned in July.
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