An Australian high school teacher has admitted to engaging in sexual relations with a 15-year-old student and subsequently attempting to convince him to lie to authorities. The 37-year-old teacher, Karly Rae, appeared in court eight weeks after giving birth to plead guilty to multiple charges related to child sexual abuse.
Rae, who was soft-spoken during her court appearance, admitted to having sexual relations with the underage student in October 2024, the same month she was arrested. The incidents took place in various locations in Newcastle, New South Wales, where she was employed as a teacher. The identity of the newborn’s father remains unclear.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Rae groomed her victim through inappropriate and suggestive messages exchanged on social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. She was also found to have expressed regret for removing the student from her Snapchat contacts, citing it as “too tempting.”
Rae’s inappropriate behavior extended beyond the classroom and social media. While out on bail, she contacted her victim multiple times, attempting to persuade him to provide a false account of events in court. This led to her re-arrest in June. The victim’s mother and cousin, who had witnessed the social media exchanges, alerted his parents about the calls.
Rae was granted bail again in June due to her pregnancy. She was initially set to face trial in August 2026 after pleading not guilty to all charges. However, she changed her plea to guilty in March. Her lawyer, Mark Ramsland, cited her newborn baby as a reason for prioritizing her case.
Despite her claims of being unaware of the boy’s age, Rae lost her job and was ordered by the court not to be alone with anyone under the age of 16. She pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a teenage boy, possessing child abuse material, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity, and committing an act with the intention of perverting the course of justice.