Local teacher charged

Police have confirmed a woman charged with 71 sex offences against children aged between 13 and 17 was teaching at a local high school at the time of offending.

The woman was charged by police on August 1 and on Monday appeared in Rockingham Magistrate’s Court for her third appearance.

Last month, the Sound Telegraph reported that the woman had been charged with a string of offences, including 28 counts of indecently dealing with a child over 13 and under 16, 21 counts of sexually penetrating a child over 13 and under 16, 14 counts of sexually penetrating a child over 16 under their authority and seven counts of a person in authority indecently dealing with a child.

She was also charged with persistently engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 16.

A WA Police spokeswoman this week said the charges related to incidents that occurred between 2015 and 2016, with three female victims, aged between 13 and 17 years old.

“It is alleged the incidents occurred while the woman was a teacher at a secondary college in the Mandurah policing district,” she said.

When last appearing in court, the woman was put on protective bail conditions and ordered to hand back her Working with Children card.

Although she has not yet pleaded, her lawyer said in court this week she intended to fight the charges.

She will reappear in court again next month.