25-year-old New England school staff member pleads guilty to charges of having sexual intercourse with students

The now 25-year-old woman cannot be named by order of the court and was standing trial on 15 sexual assault-related offences when she reversed her pleas to a number of charges.

The woman pleaded guilty to nine offences including three counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a person over 14 years and under 16, and sexual intercourse with a person under care.

Following the pleas, the jury in the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney was discharged and six charges were not included on the new indictment.

The woman remains on bail ahead of a sentencing hearing in June.

The name, location and type of school has been suppressed by the court with an extensive non-publication order placed on much of the details surrounding the case, to protect the victims, who were students at the school at the time of the offending in 2014-2015.

The woman was not employed as a teacher, but was a member of staff, before she was arrested and charged by New England detectives in December 2015.

It was the second time the woman has been trialled on the charges.

Last year, a jury in Armidale was discharged after they failed to reach a unanimous verdict following two days of deliberations.

It was the Crown’s case that the accused had a sexual interest in the boys and used her position at the school to take advantage of them, the court was told at the time.

A defence barrister told the same trial the accused had been “threatened” and had “made mistakes”. He said she was scared and “she wanted to keep these people happy so they didn't dob”.