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A Sydney high school teacher who had sex with one student and touched a second wants to be spared prison because she was suffering hypersexuality and bipolar depression, a sentencing hearing has been told.
Tayla Brailey, 32, was arrested in August 2024 and pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse and sexual touching of the boys, and two child abuse material charges related to photographs exchanged online.
She had sex with a 17-year-old boy in his car in July that year after the pair left the western Sydney high school where she taught and drove to a secluded location nearby. She had been chatting with the boy on social media.
That same month Brailey was chatting with another 16-year-old student on Snapchat and asked him, “do you like what you see?” a court heard on Tuesday.
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Brailey sent him a photograph in the shower and he sent back a video that constituted child abuse material. She sexually touched the boy in her classroom after the end of class later that month.
The crown prosecutor told the Parramatta District Court on Tuesday that Brailey “was aware that what she was doing was wrong but persisted in her conduct”.
A forensic psychiatrist, in a report discussed in court, said Brailey had likely touched the boys out of “disinhibition and poor judgment”. She has since been diagnosed with bipolar depression.
“Her sex drive had increased substantially that she couldn’t control what she was doing, that she felt hypersexual that some of those urges were not being met in her home environment,” the prosecutor said, quoting from the report.
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But Brailey had noticed the mental changes in herself and done nothing to get help, and had asked her victims to delete their conversations with her, the prosecutor told the court.
“In the Crown submission, the offending was motivated by a want for sexual gratification,” he said.
“She took steps to avoid the detection of the inappropriate relationships she was cultivating with the two victims.”
Brailey was initially hit with more serious charges but they were later dropped under negotiation with her lawyers.
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In a letter to the court she complained about the media reporting, which included her former charges. Her lawyers argue it amounted to additional punishment that could impact her rehabilitation.
“My entire life is laid bare on criminal social media and television. It has been very confronting accepting this as a reality,” Brailey said in her letter.
Brailey’s barrister April Francis said it was clear her client was “not in control”. She said it was not a case about the “abuse of children” but sexual contact, which was deemed unlawful because Brailey was in a position of care.
The age of consent in NSW is 16 years old but there are laws prohibiting sexual contact with people aged under 18 if they are under the adult’s care.
Brailey hopes to be given a conviction that allows her to serve her time in the community, rather than prison.
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She will return to court on October 16 for sentencing.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Anyone affected by sexual, domestic or family violence can also access 24/7, free and confidential trauma-specialist counselling through Full Stop Australia (1800 385 578).
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Perry Duffin is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement