Ontario teacher gets 4 years for explicit photo exchange with students

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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

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A former schoolteacher from Port Hope, Ont., is reportedly facing a four-year sentence after pleading guilty to the crime. sexual crimes featuring three of her teenage students.

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Kelly-Ann Jennings, 41, was in a Kawartha Lakes, Ont., courtroom Thursday to face sentencing after convincing three Grade 8 students to exchange explicit selfies with her.

“The consequences of a child performing sexual acts on camera for the gratification of an adult are serious,” Ontario Court Judge Nathan N. Baker said, according to CBC.

The publication ban covers the names of the three teenage victims and prevents the release of other information that could identify them, such as the name of the school where Jennings taught.

Earlier this month, Jennings pleaded guilty to six charges involving the three boys, including child enticement, invitation to sexual touching and harassment. Materials about sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

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At the Crown's request, further charges including sexual assault and sexual interference against the fourth complainant were stayed.

In addition to the sentence, Jennings' name will be added to the national sex offender registry and she has been ordered to provide a DNA sample.

One of the victims' mothers told the court in a written victim impact statement: “People don't want to believe women can do this. But it wasn't a mistake. It was abuse. It was calculated. It was predatory. It was a crime.”

CHARGES FIRST APPEARED IN 2024

The allegations first came to light in 2024 and Jennings was placed on unpaid leave from her job in Port Hope, about an hour and 15 minutes east of Toronto.

Earlier this month, the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board said it had officially “terminated Ms Jennings' employment.”

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In a victim impact statement, one victim's mother wrote that her son did not want to go to school and could not concentrate on his studies.

“This breaks my heart because that predator in the courtroom stole that trust,” she wrote. “The emotional scars from this abuse will haunt my son for the rest of his life.”

An agreed statement of facts filed in court said Jennings began sending suspicious photos and videos to three students via Snapchat in the summer of 2023, when they were 14 or 15 years old.

Over time, the images became increasingly explicit, including Jennings in a bathtub, then completely naked and finally masturbating.

When she demanded that the victims send nude photos of themselves, two of them complied.

Although Jennings accused her of drunkenness after the adultery involving her husband came to light, the judge did not believe it.

“I appreciate that the infidelity in her relationship drove her to drink,” he said. “But that in no way justifies her actions.”

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