Female teacher who sexually abused 12yo girl jailed

A female teacher who sexually abused a little girl from the age of 12, engaged in sexual acts with the child and at times plied her with alcohol has been jailed.

Kellie Ann-Marie Whiteside.

A female teacher who sexually abused a little girl from the age of 12 has been jailed.

Kellie Ann-Marie Whiteside (nee Baynham), 44, pleaded guilty in Brisbane’s District Court to repeated sexual conduct with a child from 2015 to 2018.

The court heard the then married teacher engaged in sexual acts with the victim, who she at times plied with alcohol, over the three year indictment period.

At the time the child was particularly vulnerable, due to personal issues, including the breakdown of her parents’ marriage. So young that she didn’t understand the sexual talk the perpetrator was engaging in, Whiteside told her to watch porn to learn about sex.

The victim came to believe she was Whiteside’s wife and the stepmother of her children.

In a heartbreaking victim impact statement the now adult girl articulated the trauma and damage wrought by Whiteside, who was reported to police last year while teaching at Carinity Education Southside, where the victim was not a student.

“She is a selfish, manipulative and terrifying representation of the small group of predatory educators,” she said.

“Kellie would have never stopped on her own. She had 10 years to end the abuse, to feel remorse and regret that she didn’t, she’s only sorry that she got caught.

“She is a big black cloud that will permanently float over all my milestone memories.”

The child’s father stared down his daughter’s abuser as his wife read their victim impact statement.

Kellie Ann-Marie Whiteside.

“Our child had been taken advantage of and abused in the most horrible way,” she said.

In referring to 10 years the victim was speaking of the relationship that continued after she had reached the age of consent which is not the subject of the charge.

The crown prosecutor said while there was no threats or violence there was an aspect of manipulation.

“This is a defendant who demonstrated an egregious breach of trust,” he said.

Whiteside was a mature woman at the time and there was a 22 year age gap to her victim he said.

“She knew what she was doing was wrong but persuaded the complainant to believe otherwise,” she said.

Whiteside’s barrister James McNab said his client was genuinely remorseful, had no criminal history, co-operated with police, pleaded guilty early and would not work as a teacher again.

“(There is) a theme of contrition and remorse for her actions,” he said.

Prosecution dropped 29 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 relating to the victim, essentially particulars of the substantive charge, on Whiteside’s plea of guilty.

Chief Judge Brian Devereaux sentenced Whiteside to five years jail.

“It was an outrageous breach of trust however way you look at it,” he said.

“In some cases there are threats in others there is manipulation and use of authority and that’s what you did

“All of this time the child was a very young child and you were an adult in a position of responsibility.

“You isolated her and there is no other way of looking at it than this was for your own gratification.

“She spoke eloquently of the long term damage your conduct has done. On other hand she demonstrated serious degrees of strength and determination to overcome and live a life that isn’t affected (by the offending)”.

He accepted she was remorseful and her early plea had spared the victim and family from a trial along with taking steps towards rehabilitation.

Parole eligibility was set at March 17, 2027.