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ABC News
ABC News
National

Teacher found guilty of one further charge of sexually abusing student after pleading guilty to six counts

The teacher testified she knew her actions were wrong, but was acting out of "love". (ABC News: Jon Sambell)

A former teacher at a regional WA school, who has admitted sexually abusing a 16-year-old student, has accepted that she will receive a jail term when she is sentenced next week.

The 42-year-old woman, who the ABC has not named to protect the identity of her victim, pleaded guilty to six counts of abusing the girl, more than a decade ago.

However she denied a further seven counts and stood trial in the District Court over the past four days.

After three hours of deliberations on Thursday, a jury found her guilty of one the charges and not guilty on the remaining six counts.

The court was told the victim was in her final year of school when the teacher abused her.

The offences happened at various locations including at the woman's home, and on a sporting trip to the Great Southern region.

The teacher denied she sexually abused the student on any school-organised activities.  (ABC News: Keane Bourke)

Some of the charges the teacher denied happened on school-organised events.

However, she maintained the alleged offences did not happen because she considered school-run events to be off limits mainly because of the added risk of being caught by other teachers.

The court heard after the victim left the school the two of them continued an "open" but secret relationship for years.

The woman's lawyer, Seamus Rafferty, said some of the conduct that was alleged occurred in the context of that relationship, and it was not illegal because the victim was no longer under "the care, supervision or authority" of his client.

In her evidence the woman told the court she knew what she was doing was wrong, both morally and legally, and she now felt guilty, ashamed and disappointed in her actions.

She said it was the first time she had been in a same-sex relationship and at the time she had felt love for the student.

The offences she will be sentenced for include indecent dealing and sexual penetration of a child over 16 under her care, supervision, or authority.

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