Taree teacher accused of raping teen student has case moved to Sydney Downing Centre

There has been a major development in the shocking case of a Mid-North Coast teacher who allegedly became obsessed with a female student, sent her lingerie and sexually abused her for years.

The teacher was charged at Taree police station. (File picture).

There has been a major development in the shocking case of a Taree teacher who allegedly became obsessed with a female student, sent her lingerie and sexually abused her for years.

Since coming to light in December 2023, the case has attracted a great deal of attention, with former students attending local court appearances for updates.

Now, it can be revealed the matter has been moved to the Downing Centre in Sydney.

It has been listed for a four-week trial starting on October 13, with the man denying all allegations.

When the man in his 40s - who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of alleged victim - was first arrested on December 8, 2023 he was hit with 10 charges including five counts of sexual intercourse without consent and the sexual assault of a person under his authority.

The Taree teacher leaves Taree court following a previous appearance.

He spent a weekend in custody at Kempsey before being released on bail three days later to live with his parents in a small rural town near Tamworth.

The defendant also took out a second mortgage on a Mid-North Coast home to help secure bail.

The teacher was granted bail at Taree Local Court on December 11, 2023.

At the time, a Taree police prosecutor opposed bail alleging the obsessed teacher had sent the teen lingerie and at one point was confronted by the young woman’s parents, but only ceased contact for a short time.

The prosecutor also said that police held “serious concerns for the ongoing safety of the (alleged) victim due to the level of fixation” they claim the teacher developed with the student over several years.

Now the charges against him have more than doubled.

Among the 24 charges he is now facing, there are 14 counts of rape and three charges of aggravated sexual touching.

He also faces a number of stalk and intimidate charges with Taree Local Court previously hearing from a barrister for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who alleged “years of sexual assault” which “often involved the use of a vehicle”.

It has been previously heard in a Taree court that the female student was 18 at the time of alleged offending, but came into contact with the man prior to this.

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