A TRIAL date has been set for a school staff member charged with sexually abusing students at a New England school.
The 23-year-old remains in custody in a women’s prison and faces 11 offences including sexual intercourse with a person under special care and under the age of 17.
The alleged offences occurred on school grounds between October, 2014, and September, 2015.
The woman’s identity, along with any information that identifies the school or the alleged victims, has been suppressed for legal reasons.
The woman waived her right to a committal hearing earlier this year and elected to go straight to trial on the allegations.
During brief proceedings in a Sydney court last week, a judge set down a trial date for early next year.
The woman will stand trial in January in Armidale District Court with the case expected to run for almost five weeks.
The staff member, who was suspended from her position when the allegations first arose in 2015, made no application for bail and it was formally refused.
Detectives allege the woman had sexual intercourse with four boys under the age of 18, three of whom were allegedly under her care, and one who was allegedly under the age of 16.
The woman was not employed as a teacher, but was a member of staff, before she was arrested and charged by New England detectives, last year.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
