A top Scots private school teacher who had a sexual relationship with a pupil has had her prison term cut after a judge ruled it was ‘excessive’. Nicola Park will now serve 16 months behind bars, rather than the original 27-month sentence handed to her at Glasgow Sheriff Court in April.
The “well-respected” 43-year-old admitted engaging in sexual activity with a female student between December 2016 and April 2019. The victim was aged between 15 and 18 during the sordid affair, which saw the duo meeting up for secret trysts at various locations including at Park’s home.
Park’s legal team launched an appeal against her sentence, arguing that she should not have received a jail term, due to her previously unblemished record. But Lord Hugh Matthews ruled that a case of this nature would inevitably attract a custodial sentence unless there were exceptional circumstances.
