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‘I should have known better’: Former teacher Renee Jade Underwood apologises to school student she groomed

Emily CosenzaNCA NewsWire
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Camera IconNot Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

A former South Australian teacher has made an emotional apology to a student she groomed, saying she “should have known better”.

Renee Jade Underwood, 34, pleaded guilty to an aggravated count of making a child amenable to sexual activity she committed between July and August last year at Lyrup in the state’s Riverland region.

Her charge is aggravated because she was in a position of authority.

The mother of one appeared on Wednesday in the Adelaide District Court, where she apologised to her victim and his family, saying she was sorry for the pain and humiliation she inflicted.

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Addressing his parents, she said she was sorry her behaviours brought unnecessary stress into their lives and that she breached their trust.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and recognise that I was wrong and grossly misguided,” Ms Underwood said from the dock.

“I'm ashamed of the damage I've caused, more so because I’m a victim of sexual abuse and have lifelong trauma associated with it.

“I should have known better.”

DISTRICT COURT
Camera IconRiverland schoolteacher Renee Underwood pleaded guilty to making a child amenable to sexual contact. Brenton Edwards / NCA NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia

The court heard the defendant no longer taught at the Riverland school and has since found employment as a chef.

Prosecutor Amy Fisher said Ms Underwood’s offending was serious because of her breach of trust.

She provided to the court victim impact statements from the boy and his mother but said they wished for them not to be read aloud in the hearing.

“It is clear by his evidence and victim impact statement that he had dreams of studying at university to become a doctor – something the defendant knew and, in my submission, exploited to get close to him,” Ms Fisher said.

“It is clear this offending has had a profound impact on the victim and his family. He suffers from anxiety, embarrassment and issues with trust.”

The prosecutor said the matter was “far too serious” to impose a bond and believed jail time was the appropriate sentence.

She said general deterrence should be considered by Judge Jane Schammer when imposing a sentence.

DISTRICT COURT
Camera IconThe mother-of-one apologised to her victim and his parents in court, saying she ‘should have known better’ and was ‘disgusted’ by her actions. Brenton Edwards / NCA NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia

Jane Abbey, for the defence, said her client was in “a dark place” at the time of her offending and suffered from depressive moods, stressors like loneliness and social isolation, and abused alcohol by drinking “an awful amount” of vodka.

She argued Ms Underwood had since dealt with her stressors and mental health issues, feeling “incredible remorse and could not be more sorry” for her actions.

“She was dealing with various problems that were set out but was not dealing with them in the sense of getting help … she had various childhood trauma issues which she had compartmentalised,” Ms Abbey said.

While the lawyer said her client didn’t see herself as a victim and did not rely on her life experiences to explain her offending, she admitted Ms Underwood abused her trust and crossed boundaries.

But she said Judge Schammer needed to understand the context of her bad mental state.

The lawyer said her client had a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter whom she cared for and asked the judge for “extended mercy” to Ms Underwood by giving her client the lowest possible incarceration period.

“To interrupt this woman’s self-initiated and successful path to rehabilitation would be a great shame to her and her daughter.”

Ms Underwood’s sentence is due to be handed down in October.

Originally published as ‘I should have known better’: Former teacher Renee Jade Underwood apologises to school student she groomed

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