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A TEACHER has been charged with soliciting child pornography from a former student after he left the school she was employed at. The woman, who now cannot be named by order of the court*, is accused of using a phone to communicate with a 17-year-old boy and obtain naked images of him on three separate occasions in Tamworth. The woman is employed as a teacher at a local high school but “is not at the school” currently, according to a spokesperson. The Leader can reveal the alleged offences occurred between October, last year, and February, this year. If convicted of the Commonwealth offences, the woman faces a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment. Following a short investigation, the woman was charged by Oxley detectives on February 27, after handing herself in at Tamworth Police Station. The 17-year-boy attended the school in 2017 but was not a student at the time of the alleged offences. On Monday, the woman did not appear in Tamworth Local Court when her case was mentioned. Instead, a solicitor mentioned the case on her behalf before the court ordered detectives to compile a brief of evidence. She remains on bail and will return to court in April. She is yet to enter pleas to the three charges. A spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed the charges to The Leader on Monday, but would not comment on whether the teacher had been suspended or when the school was informed of the police investigation. “The Department of Education and the school are aware of the charges and have supported investigations,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The teacher is not at the school nor has direct contact with students. “As the matter is before the courts, no further detail can be provided.” As part of their investigation, detectives have seized a mobile phone. According to court documents, police had concerns the woman was a risk of failing to appear at court proceedings, endangering the safety of victims, individuals or the community, and also interfering with witnesses or evidence. She was granted bail by police, several hours after her arrest with strict conditions. As part of her bail, the woman is prohibited from contacting the boy, must not maintain “any active accounts on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat”, and must live at a residential address, away from Tamworth on the Mid North Coast.

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