A schoolteacher has learnt her fate after she was found guilty of a years-long sexual relationship with a 15-year-old former female student.
Sarah Collins was found guilty following a trial in March of 17 offences, including sexual intercourse and indecent assault of someone under 16.
The court was previously told Collins, then 24, was working as a high school teacher when she became involved with a 13-year-old student.
The relationship turned sexual after the teen turned 15, at which time Collins was no longer the girl’s teacher at school.
A court was told in April that at the time Collins was married, and the eight-year relationship was her first “lesbian relationship”.
Collins had gained the trust of the victim’s family, the court was told, and had remained a teacher for many years after the relationship.
The court was previously told that the pair ended the relationship in 2014, and Collins, who resides in south Sydney, divorced years later.
In 2020, Collins led a project-based learning system at Hillston High School, where she worked with students outside of normal learning.
Judge Sophia Beckett sentenced Collins at Penrith Court on Friday to 30 months imprisonment; she will be eligible for parole in January 2025.
The court was previously told that due to the nature of the offences, a community-based sentence – without jail time – was not available.