Ex-Catholic Regional College teacher Elisa Errichiello to stand trial on sex abuse charges
A former Melbourne teacher will stand trial over alleged child sex offences against a student at a Keilor Lodge high school more than two decades ago.
Police & Courts
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A former Melbourne high school teacher will stand trial over alleged child sex offences against a student more than two decades ago.
Elisa Errichiello, 51, has pleaded not guilty to five offences including indecent acts and sexual penetration of a child under 16 while she was working at Catholic Regional College in Keilor Lodge between May 1997 and May 1999.
Following a two-day committal hearing to test the evidence against Ms Errichiello, Melbourne Magistrate Olivia Trumble on Wednesday ordered the former teacher to stand trial in the County Court.
Another 21 charges against Ms Errichiello, who was still teaching at Rosehill Secondary College in Niddrie as recently as this year, were earlier withdrawn by prosecutors or struck out by the magistrate.
A number of witnesses including Ms Errichiello’s ex-husband, former colleagues, a friend, a police officer and the alleged victim — whose evidence was heard in closed court — were called to give evidence during the hearing.
Police began investigating Ms Errichiello after a former student, now in her late 30s, made a complaint against her alleging they engaged in sexual relations while she was underage.
A mutual friend of both Ms Errichiello and the alleged victim told the court they first began hanging out as a group at the queer-friendly Rochester Hotel in Fitzroy in the late 1990s or early 2000s.
The woman said she only became aware of the allegations after police told her they were investigating Ms Errichiello for historic child sex offences.
On Tuesday, a former colleague of Ms Errichiello was questioned about a statement she provided to police regarding the school’s darkroom where some of the crimes allegedly took place.
Ms Errichiello was stood down from her job as visual arts co-ordinator at Rosehill Secondary College after the allegations came to light.
The Victorian Institute of Teaching, the state’s teaching regulator, suspended Ms Errichiello’s registration on an interim basis in April.
She remains on bail and will return to the County Court for a directions hearing on November 9.
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