Mayor says let courts run course after Port Augusta teacher Ammy Singleton charged with child grooming

The education department will not reveal where a Port Augusta teacher facing a child grooming allegation has worked, as the city’s mayor calls for calm.

South Australia’s education department is refusing to reveal at which schools a Port Augusta teacher accused of a child grooming offence has worked.
A spokesperson for the department said it would not make any comments on where Ammy Clara Singleton, 28, was employed or if more parents had been informed of the charge against her.

It comes after Port Augusta’s mayor appealed to the community to let the courts run their course after a scandal erupted around a relief teacher accused of a child sex offence.

Mayor Brett Benbow said he sympathised with the people embroiled in the case after parents at a local school were informed the relief teacher had been charged with communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity.

“I sympathise with both sides who are currently going through this process and from my perspective everything should remain fair and equal until it is complete,” Mayor Benbow said.

“When it is all said and done, we will know a lot more about the circumstances.”

He said he did not hold a view on whether schools notify parents of students.

“Once again I come back to the fact that this case is before the courts and that the person involved remains innocent until proven guilty,” he said

Ms Singleton attended Port Augusta Court on Wednesday over the alleged offending occurring between November 1 and 30 last year.

The prosecutor told the court they needed to analyse electronic evidence and would need a further 12 weeks before the matter returned to court, the ABC reported.

Mr McLeod allowed Ms Singleton to remain on bail until her next scheduled appearance in July, when she is expected to enter a plea.

In a statement, a Catholic Education South Australia spokeswoman said Ms Singleton was not employed at Port Augusta’s Caritas College.

“This is a police matter and we cannot comment,” she said.

“I can, however, confirm that the person concerned is not (and never has been) an employee of Caritas College.”

Principal of Port Augusta West Primary School David Lawton issued a letter to parents earlier this year following Ms Singleton’s arrest.

The letter stated Ms Singleton had only taught as a relief teacher at the school for one day in July 2020.

“Police have advised the Department for Education they do not have any objections to the department informing the school community,” Mr Lawton wrote in February.

“This incident does not involve any students at our school and the information available to the school suggests there is no need for any concern for any children at our school.”

Mr Lawton said he understood the information might be distressing for parents.

“If you have any concerns about the safety and welfare of your child, please feel free to contact me directly at the school,” he wrote.

Ms Singleton graduated from UniSA with a Bachelor of Education (Primary and Middle) in 2017.

It is unclear whether the alleged offences involved a student under her care or occurred outside the workplace.

Sources told The Advertiser she worked at several schools across Port Augusta.

When approached by The Advertiser on Wednesday, Ms Singleton – who lives in the township – declined to comment.

Ammy Singleton. Picture: Facebook

Ammy Singleton. Picture: Facebook

Ms Singleton played as recently as September last year for Railways Netball Club in Port Augusta, where she was reported as “awesome in her court coverage for interceptions, back-up play and goal circle rebounds”, and played in the Falcons Black basketball grand final last year.

She also graduated from SANFL’s Aboriginal Pathways to Excellence Traineeship Program in 2012.

Esther Boles, who led the SA under-18 girls team in 2018, said at the time Ms Singleton was an inspiration to the next generation of female footballers in the area.

In 2013, Ms Singleton helped organise a community basketball event, where she was described as a “role model” by locals.

In July 2020, Ms Singleton was appointed as a member of the traditional land owners Yandruwandha Yawarrawarrka Parks Advisory Committee for two years.