Former teacher Lina Costanzo in court on historic child sex offences

An Education Department worker and former teacher has appeared in court on historical child sex charges against three victims spanning more than a decade.

Editor's note: Please note Ms Lina Costanzo has been acquitted of all sex charges in December 2023.  A former teacher and Education Department co-ordinator has faced court charged with child sex offences against three victims spanning more than a decade.

Lina Costanzo, 51, of Tranmere, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with three counts of persistent exploitation of a child between 1989 and 2002.

Court documents allege Ms Costanzo “maintained an unlawful sexual relationship” with each victim, all of which were allegedly aged under 17 at the time.

Lina Costanzo, in a picture taken from her LinkedIn profile.

The documents also allege she “engaged in two or more unlawful acts with or towards” the first alleged victim “at Eden Hills and other places” in South Australia between February 1989 and May 1994.

A second victim was allegedly abused between September 1990 and December 1995 “at Glenelg and other places”.

A third victim was also allegedly sexually abused “at Glenelg and other places” between January 1992 and December 2002.

That offence also allegedly involved showing pornography to the child on more than one occasion.

Lina Costanzo leaves the Adelaide Magistrates Court with a supporter. She is yet to enter pleas to three counts of persistent sexual exploitation of a child. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

The documents allege two of the victims were female and one was male.

Craig Caldicott, for Ms Costanzo, told the court his client “hasn’t been able to work” since her arrest last year.

“My client will be pleading not guilty,” he said.

Prosecutors had sought a 12 week adjournment of the case to gather more evidence, but Mr Caldicott said that was too long.

Ms Costanzo’s online LinkedIn profile states she has held the role of English as an Additional Language or Dialect co-ordinator with the Education Department since January 2019.

Prior to that, her profile states she had worked for Catholic Education in South Australia for 27 years, between January 1992 and December 2018.

A spokeswoman for the Education Department said Ms Costanzo had been “directed away from her job in October 2021”.

“As the matter is before the courts, we have no further comment to make.”

Ms Costanzo’s teacher registration was cancelled last month.

Catholic Education South Australia declined to comment because the matter was before the courts.

Ms Costanzo covered her face as she left court. She returns to court in July.