In Australia, a married teacher was sentenced Wednesday to just over a year in prison for having sex with two teenage students – which she tried to attribute to “irresistible” urges driven by bipolar disorder.
Tayla Lee Brailey, 32, cried as she hugged her parents and several supporters during her sentencing in Sydney on Wednesday – having already lost her job and her husband after admitting to her twisted crimes, Australian media outlet ABC reported.
Brailey was first arrested in August 2024 for having sex with a 17-year-old boy in her car, returning to her classes after the sordid relationship.
She was released on bail – only to be arrested again a few weeks later when it emerged she had also touched the genitals of a 16-year-old student in her class, an experience which he said in a victim impact statement still overwhelms him with shame.
Brailey had groomed this young victim online, according to the Canberra Times, by sending her a naked photo of herself in the shower and asking: “Do you like what you see?”
She then asked him to send her a nude in return. “Yum,” she replied to the 16-year-old student. “Stay with me after school,” she wrote – with them kissing and touching genitals in her classroom.
“He became ashamed and had to leave high school before he finished … because of the shame he felt,” Judge Elizabeth Ryan said during Bailey’s sentencing.
“He had suffered from lack of sleep and flashbacks…he said none of his friends from high school spoke to him anymore.”
The judge was told Brailey was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which led to impaired judgment and an increased libido, leaving him with an “irresistible impulse” to have sex with the boys, as the Australian also reported.
The judge, however, said that while Brailey’s crimes may have been “terrible mistakes,” she “used her position as a teacher…to abuse the trust of two young people.”
“It is also relevant that she knew what she was doing was wrong but she persisted,” Judge Ryan said.
“Offences like this cause immense damage to the trust that should exist between families and the education system,” the judge said.
“For these reasons… no punishment other than imprisonment is appropriate.” »
Brailey was sentenced to nine months in prison for having sex with the 17-year-old student and one year for sexually touching the 16-year-old boy, for a total prison sentence of 15 months.
She will also be on the child protection register for 15 years.
The teacher – who has since trained as an accountant – will be eligible for parole in April 2027.
Gn world
