Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Teacher jailed for sex with pupil

A married teacher who had sex with one of her teenage pupils has been jailed for four years and three months.

Elvira Fairhurst, from Liverpool, began an affair with the boy when he was 14 and had sex with him up to 10 times.

She was arrested after a crane driver saw the pair having sex on the top floor of a multi-storey car park while she was on a break from jury service.

At Liverpool Crown Court the 49-year-old admitted 11 counts of sexual activity with a child .
As well as having sexual intercourse with the boy, Fairhurst, of Meredale Road in Allerton, also performed a sex act on him and touched him indecently, the court heard.

The offences happened between January and May 2005.

The court was told that the boy, who has behavioural problems, was paid lots of attention by Fairhurst and was given permission to kiss her.

This progressed to French kissing and then sexual intercourse in the school stock cupboard, male toilets and a park.

The mother-of-two was on a lunch break from jury duty at Liverpool Crown Court when she was spotted by a crane driver on top of the multi-storey car park with the boy.

The crane driver contacted police, who arrived at the scene after Fairhurst had returned to Liverpool Crown Court.

When questioned, the boy initially said Fairhurst was his mother but eventually admitted she was his teacher.

The officers attended court and had to explain to the judge that they needed to arrest one of his jurors on suspicion of having sex with a minor.

John McDermott QC, defending, said: "She will never be able to explain to anyone just why she embarked on a madcap course of sexual activity with a boy in her charge, but she did."

Judge Henry Globe QC, the Recorder of Liverpool, told Fairhurst she had abused her position.
"You allowed an unhealthy, unprofessional, unlawful sexual relationship to develop and pursued that relationship for your own pleasure in an open and brazen way," he said.

"You performed sexual acts in semi-public, in a stockroom, in a boys' toilet, in a park and finally at a time when you were performing public service as a juror in this very building, in an open-air car park in full view of a crane driver."

The judge banned her from working with children indefinitely.

She was given the same sentence for each of the 11 counts with the sentences will run concurrently.

At least this isn't a problem only in America. At least in the UK they give prison time instead of just probation. You have to know though that when it's a 49 year old man with a 14 year old girl let alone a teacher and student he would get a sentence of more than 4 years. Plus only 4 years for 11 counts?!! I wonder what actual time that will work out to be?

I really need to get on Michigan legislators to impose stiffer penalties for this here, especially when Dr. Kevorkian is still doing time and Jenny won't commute his sentence.