A FEMALE special education teacher in her early 20s had a sexual relationship with an intellectually disabled boy, even having sex with him in a park across the road from his school.

Crown prosecutor Ron Swanwick described the teacher’s behaviour as “systematic seduction and corruption” of a vulnerable person, her student, that lasted more than 18 months.

The first year teacher, who was aged 23 to 25, had sex with the boy, who was nine years younger than her, in the back seat of her car, at her unit and in parks.

Mr Swanwick said after the teacher ended the relationship with her autistic student, who was aged 14 and 15 during the “consensual relationship” , the boy began cutting himself.

She had introduced him to alcohol and cannabis and had bought him an iPhone, iPad and a season pass to Gold Coast theme parks.

Mr Swanwick said for three to four weeks in 2012 the teacher and student had sex every morning before school, in a park across the road from their high school, southeast of Brisbane.

Judge Paul Smith today sentenced the woman, now 27, to six and a half years in jail, but ordered she be eligible for parole in February 2017, after she serves 18 months.

The woman had pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court to maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, four counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 under care and two counts of carnal knowledge with a child under 16 under care.

Mr Swanwick said the woman had been the boy’s special education unit teacher and their relationship began with meetings for breakfast and phone chats on a pre-paid mobile she bought him.

Mr Swanwick said the teacher began performing oral sex on the boy, telling him she was in love with him, and by the end of 2011 they were “dating”, holding hands and saying “I love you”.

After the first penetrative sex in the back seat of the woman’s car on New Year’s Eve, 2011, the boy said they had “lots of sex” in her bed and in parks and he said he practically lived with her.

Mr Swanwick said the teacher had told the boy not to tell anyone what they were doing as she could go to jail and lose her job.

The boy’s mother thought her son was meeting the teacher’s intellectually disabled brother.

Mr Swanwick told of occasions when the pair were nearly caught by a boy in the same year as the autistic student, while they were having sex in the playground of a park.

They also were seen by other students kissing in a park.

Mr Swanwick said the boy, who suffered agony from rejection after the relationship ended in late 2012, began cutting himself and was diagnosed with depression.

After the boy told his mother what had happened she contacted police and initially the teacher denied there had been a sexual relationship.

Mr Swanwick said it was a breach of trust at the highest level by a special education teacher who knew of the boy’s vulnerabilities and involved a systematic program of deception and risk taking.

Defence counsel, Liam Dollar, said at the time of the offending the teacher was feeling devastated after the end of a seven-year relationship and was depressed.

He said what occurred with the boy “made her feel she wasn’t alone and was still somewhat desirable”.

“I’m extremely sorry, severely embarrassed and beyond ashamed,” the woman said in a letter of apology tendered in court.

“There aren’t words to convey the level of contrition I feel.”

Judge Smith said the immature woman had succumbed to temptation for sexual gratification, but it didn’t excuse her behaviour.

The woman, who resigned from teaching after being suspended after she was charged in January last year, will never be allowed to teach again.

She has a young baby and her fiancé was in court for the sentence.

She will be eligible for parole on February 26, 2017.