A 25-year-old teacher who had sex with one of her secondary school students on two occasions has been jailed for a year.

The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told that the woman was a substitute English teacher and the boy was a fifth year student in her class at the time.

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.

The woman, who has since been disqualified as a teacher, said she believed the age of consent was 16, but now accepted she was wrong and was truly sorry for what she had done

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

The teacher was 23-years-old at the time and working in her first job as a substitute English teacher.

In 2017, she met one of her fifth year students, who was 15 at the time, in a nightclub, gave him a hug and subsequently continued to chat with him in school and communicate with him on Snapchat.

She brought him for a drive in January of last year, 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 he was in a relationship with a teacher.

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

She is now on the sex offenders' register

The court heard she was naïve and now accepts she was wrong, takes full responsibility and is truly sorry.

The boy said he suffers stress, migraines, anxiety and feels under pressure.

Judge Martin Nolan said the woman was reckless, abused the trust put in her and what she did was completely unethical.

He said she was unlikely to re-offend but an immediate custodial sentence was necessary. He sentenced her to three years in jail, with last two years suspended.