Oz teacher jailed for 18 months after having sex with 15-year-old pupil

Melbourne, Oct 13 (ANI): A former English teacher has been jailed for 18months after having sex with a 15-year-old student.

Danial John Boyce had sex with the girl twice between August and September 2008, after she contacted him online complaining about her home life.

Judge Liz Gaynor said Boyce, who had an impoverished childhood and was abused by his mother, took pity on the girl and gave her his phone number so she could talk to him about her problems.

"You over-identified with the victim and lost all sense of boundaries," the Herald Sun quoted Gaynor as saying.

The girl, who cannot be identified, sent Boyce two naked pictures of herself, which were discovered in a routine inspection of school computers.

The discovery led to a police charging the country teacher with sexual penetration of a child under 16 in his care, supervision or authority.

The County Court heard Boyce initially denied having sex with the girl and after he was arrested, sent her a letter urging her to withdraw the allegations.

"Maybe the only way I can get out of this is if you can tell them it's a lie," he said to her in a phone conversation recorded by police.

Boyce had sent a letter to the court expressing his regret and she accepted he felt genuinely remorseful.

"I had sex with a young girl, far too young for my age.

"I ruined the school community, betrayed a young girl and damaged her education.

"I want to stop hating myself and start fixing myself," he said in the letter. (ANI)