A 25-year-old female teacher who had sex with one of her secondary school students on two occasions last year is due to be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court tomorrow.

The court was told that the woman was aged 23 at the time and was working in her first job as a substitute English teacher.

The boy was a fifth year student in her class.

The court heard that in 2017 she met the student, who was 15 at the time, in a nightclub, gave him a hug and subsequently continued to chat to him in school and communicate with him on Snapchat.

She brought him for a drive in January 2018, subsequently bought him a birthday present, met him on his birthday, and engaged in sexual activity, including intercourse, for the first time on his 16th birthday.

Twelve days later, she met him again and brought him to a hotel where she had booked a room. They ate in the restaurant, stayed overnight and slept together.

The boy's mother knew he was in a relationship and began asking questions when he would not bring his girlfriend home.

She spoke to a neighbour and one of the boy's friends and discovered that her son was in a relationship with a teacher. She got a picture of the teacher and went to the school, before reporting the matter to gardaí.

The teacher was arrested last October at Dublin Airport and made full admissions to gardaí.

She told gardaí she believed the age of consent was 16 and had waited until the boy's 16th birthday before engaging in sexual activity.

The court heard she was naive and now accepts she was wrong, takes full responsibility, and is truly sorry for what she had done.

She has since been disqualified as a teacher and is on the sex offenders' register.

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

He said he suffers from stress and migraines, and feels under pressure.

Judge Martin Nolan said he would sentence the woman tomorrow.

The maximum penalty for the offence is seven years in prison.