Music teacher Janelle Fletcher denies having sexual relationship with child, says photo booth kiss ‘pretend’

A music teacher who allegedly kissed a teenage girl in a photo booth has told a court the pose was supposed to be “pretend” until her lips touched the child’s.

A music teacher on trial for sexually abusing a teenage girl got her photo taken kissing the teen in a photo booth, but says it was supposed to be “a pretend kiss”, a court has heard.

Janelle Colville Fletcher has been standing trial for the past week in the South Australian District Court accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl.

She has been charged with one count each of sexual abuse of a child and communicate to make a child amenable to sexual activity.

Opening the trial last week, prosecutor Chris Allen said Dr Fletcher, then in her early thirties, was playing a game of truth or dare when she dared the two teenage girls to kiss each other.

He said that after that incident, Dr Fletcher had commenced a sexual relationship with one of the teenage girls that lasted several months.

Dr Janelle Colville Fletcher has denied sexually abusing a child. Picture: Supplied

“A relationship continued between them … that relationship continued until the (teenager), who was a child, ended that relationship,” he said.

The court heard the sexual relationship had occurred in the girl’s home, in Dr Fletcher’s home and car, and in other locations.

Andrew Culshaw, for Dr Fletcher, this week told Judge Fuller that his client had not been involved in a game of truth or dare, nor encouraged the girls to engage in any kind of sexual activity.

He said the girl had expressed romantic feelings to his client, not the other way around.

An image that depicts Dr Fletcher allegedly kissing the victim was taken one night in a photo booth at the movie theatre, but the kiss itself was an accident, she said.

“It was meant to be a pretend kiss, like we had done previously where your lips don’t actually touch, and in that particular photo we got close and she did sort of pull me in and yeah, the photo went off,” Dr Fletcher said in evidence.

“Her hand was on my neck and then the lips touched.”

“Did you voluntarily engage in a kiss with her?” Mr Culshaw asked.

“No, I did not,” she replied.

“Did you have any romantic feelings (for her)?”

“No I did not.”

Janelle Fletcher, a music teacher and flute player. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The trial continues. Picture: Supplied

Dr Fletcher said that over the course of her email communications with the girl, her main intention was to make the teen feel like she was loved, but “slowly get her to think it was her idea to not be with me, but to be with someone her own age”.

In one email, the teacher told the girl “my feelings for you are not lust but love”, but she told the court that love was not necessarily sexual or romantic.

‘I wanted her to understand that it was a love. It wasn’t anything romantic or anything sexual,” Dr Fletcher said.

When asked why she told her she was in love with her, Dr Fletcher told the court she’d said it because its what her alleged victim wanted to hear.

She said that the teen had kept contacting her after being photographed kissing at the movies, but that she had blocked all further contact from the girl after.

During cross examination, Dr Fletcher denied ever being sexually involved with any child in her car, her home, or other places.

“That just never happened,” she said.

She said the love she told the girl she had for her was a “big sister” type of love.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Music teacher Janelle Fletcher denies having sexual relationship with child, says photo booth kiss ‘pretend’