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“It comes out here when there is a breach of trust and grooming, insinuation into the life of the student and family. That damage may not have come out yet, but it will. It may be a slow, ticking bomb, but it ticks.”

Lord said the offence has been devastating on his client, as she has lost her marriage, her home, all of her girlfriends, her job and her career as a result of the charges and pre-trial publicity.

“She has been publicly shamed to a high degree,” Lord said. “There is no minimization of it.”

Faulkner earlier said the teacher and her then former student were caught having sex in her parked car by residents of the northwest Dalhousie neighbourhood last Nov. 23, and that police pursued it when they saw the extensive age difference.

I’m yours forever, you own my heart, you rule my world, you are my king, my best friend, my lover, forever. I love you more than you will understand

The prosecutor noted there was no evidence they had sex prior to the boy’s 16th birthday the previous summer, thus the acceptance of a plea to exploitation and withdrawing other charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual counselling of a minor.

She said, however, that during the 2011-12 school year when the boy was in junior high at Our Lady of Assumption, he and Mason communicated regularly by text messages, Skype, e-mail, Facebook and other social media.

Faulkner noted that they would meet and have sex in her car, in hotels and at her home numerous times.

She also said that when she was on her honeymoon in Europe in the summer of 2012, she e-mailed the boy numerous times. After she returned, they met and kissed at a public park. A year later, Faulkner said, Mason sent him a happy birthday greeting that said: “I’m yours forever, you own my heart, you rule my world, you are my king, my best friend, my lover, forever. I love you more than you will understand.”