Monica Young: Teacher on sex assault charge allegedly caught on CCTV

Horrifying new alleged details of the case against a Sydney school teacher who allegedly sexually assaulted a teen boy have emerged in court. Police will claim the moment the woman reached for the boy before she allegedly assaulted him was caught on CCTV.

Sydney teacher Monica Young has been charged with the alleged sexual assault of a young male student.

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A court has heard the moment a Sydney school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a male student and reached for his groin was caught on CCTV footage.

But Monica Elizabeth Young’s lawyer said while it may look suspicious the CCTV “does not show any sexual assault”.

The 23-year-old was charged in July with 10 sexual offences including five counts of aggravated sexual assault against a male student at a western Sydney high school where she taught after shocking allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.

Police will allege the pair swapped explicit images on Instagram, and that CCTV allegedly depicted Young moving her hand towards the victim’s groin before she moved his hand down her pants.

At the Supreme Court on Thursday, Young’s QC Ian Lloyd said CCTV would not show any impropriety on Young’s part and it was completely denied.

Monica Young, 23.

“In the police facts, it says CCTV captured the applicant’s hand at the complainant’s groin – that is an exaggeration,” Mr Lloyd told the court.

“(Then) the allegation is that Young moved the boy’s hand and placed his hand down her tights – what the CCTV captures is the complainant’s arm outstretched towards the applicant’s groin and it might be suspicious but it does not show any sexual assault.”

Justice Stephen Campbell granted Young bail effectively to house arrest at her grandmother’s southwest Sydney home on a raft of strict conditions after her grandmother put an $800,000 property on the line for her release.

Young will be forbidden from using the internet or social media and will report to Bankstown police daily while she resides with her grandmother in a Bankstown suburb.

Sydney teacher Monica Young in happier times with her fiance.

Crown prosecutor Scott Jaeger said the allegations against Young constituted a “massive breach of trust” and police were anticipating further charges would be laid.

“While using Instagram in the lead-up to the first offence, there was an incitement for the boy to send a photo of his penis to the applicant,” Mr Jaeger said.

“Young has then sent what appears to be a photo of a vagina back to the complainant.”

When the boy’s mother became suspicious about who he was communicating with online, police will allege Young changed her Snapchat handle and image to present herself as a younger boy and continued to communicate with him.

The court heard the boy and his parents were opposed to Young being granted bail to live in the community prior to her trial.

“The parents are concerned that if released she may continue to, in their words, prey on their son and other children,” Mr Lloyd told the court.

“The boy is said to have mixed emotions – he expressed concerns about her wellbeing in custody but he doesn’t want her to be out on bail in case she does to other children what he says she did to him.”

Sydney teacher Monica Young in happier times with her fiance.

Mr Jaeger said police would also allege Young had visited the boy’s workplace at a local fast food restaurant and that she was “actively pursuing the boy”.

Mr Lloyd also acknowledged that Young had been found in possession of a bottle of lubricant which police would allege the boy had asked a friend to buy for him.

“She saw him with the tube of lube and she confiscated it from him,” Mr Lloyd told the court.

Mr Lloyd also said there was no dispute Young had sent the boy a photo of herself on the bed captioned “waiting for you”.

“There’s no indication she was naked or undressed,” Mr Lloyd said.

“There’s no doubt that the CCTV shows she has on one view clearly been foolish and perhaps breached school rules by meeting with the boy outside of school – but she’s not charged with foolishness or breaching school rules.”

Mr Lloyd said police would allege another male student may have been present when one or more of the alleged offences occurred but neither he nor his parents wished to participate in an interview with police.

Monica Young with her fiance and his family before she was charged.

Mr Lloyd also revealed unpleasant details of Young’s stay in prison, where she is sometimes in her cell up to 22 hours a day.

“She is in protection in the maximum security area at Mulawa (Women’s Prison at Silverwater),” Mr Lloyd told the court.

“That gives her less liberty to move into the exercise yard and things of that nature – she is only able to leave the cell two to three hours a day.”

Young’s parents have also been unable to visit her behind bars due to COVID-19 restrictions and instead were only able to communicate with her via video link on Saturdays and Sundays.

Young’s employment with the Department of Education has been terminated in the weeks since her arrest.