Female teacher, 42, had sex with 16-year-old student after 'falling in love' with girl she saw as her 'little sister'

Female teacher, 42, had sex with a 16-year-old student after 'falling in love with girl she saw as her 'little sister'

A female ex-teacher and footy coach has been convicted of child sex offenses against a teen student who she considered her 'little sister'.

Leith Dianne Woods stood trial in the Western Australian District Court, defending allegations of committing various child sex offenses, including indecently touching and sexually penetrating a 16-year-old student while working as a teacher at a regional school in 2012.

According to the court, the victim and Woods initially met outside of the school environment when the girl was in Year 10, and Woods served as a previous coach for the women's team of the Swan Districts Football Club. Woods later became the victim's teacher at the school that same year.

As per reports from the West Australian, the relationship between Leith Dianne Woods and the 16-year-old student started to change during a non-school sporting trip to the South West in 2012, after Woods was no longer directly teaching the victim.

Prosecutors argued that the relationship could not be considered consensual because Woods held a position of authority as a teacher at the victim's school.

During the trial, the jury heard that the victim faced some difficulties at home, which led to a close relationship between her and Woods. Woods stated that she initially mentored the victim as she viewed her as a talented sportsperson and saw her as a younger sibling.

During the trial, Leith Dianne Woods admitted to knowing that her actions were inappropriate but continued with the relationship because she had never experienced romantic feelings for a woman before.

Woods stated, "I've had several male partners. But I felt companionship with her. I felt love."

The victim, who is now in her 20s, testified that she called Woods to apologize after their first sexual encounter on the South West trip because she understood the precarious position she had placed her teacher in.

The victim further testified that when she apologized to Woods after their first sexual encounter, Woods dismissed it by saying "don't be silly" and expressed no regret.

The victim went on to describe multiple instances of sexual activity that took place between her and Woods throughout her final year of school, including in Woods' car, at her home, in other regional towns, and during two school camping trips.

However, Woods denied the claim that they met regularly for sexual activity and refuted the allegations of any such activities taking place during school camps. Woods stated that she was careful not to risk being caught by other teachers or students.

Initially, Leith Dianne Woods was charged with 16 offenses, out of which she admitted to six of them on the first day of her trial. However, she denied the remaining 10 charges, claiming that they did not occur at the time alleged. During the trial, she was acquitted of three of those charges.

After three hours of deliberation, the jury acquitted Woods of an additional six charges, which included five counts of sexually penetrating a child under her authority and indecently dealing.

Despite being acquitted of several charges, the jury found Leith Dianne Woods guilty of one more charge, which was related to a sexual penetration offense that occurred at her home.

Woods is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

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