Teachers in Australia and UK face sexual misconduct charges

Two separate legal cases involving former teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students are proceeding in Australia and the United Kingdom.

In Sydney, Australia, Deandra Kontou, 32, has been charged with nine sex crimes, including aggravated sexual assault and grooming, involving a student under the age of 16. Kontou, a former geography teacher at Newington College, was arrested following an investigation into allegations at a school in the city’s inner west. She has been granted conditional bail and must report to a police station daily. This follows another recent charge involving a different staff member at the same institution.

In London, United Kingdom, Darlington Nuwertey, 32, is appearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court facing nine counts of rape and one count of abusing a position of trust. Nuwertey, a former science teacher at Oasis Academy Silvertown, claims the sexual relationship with the student was “loving and consensual.” He testified that he believed the student was 18 years old, while the prosecution maintains the victim was 15 at the time the unwanted attention began.