Teacher jailed for child sex

By JO-MARIE BROWN

A former primary schoolteacher quietly wept yesterday as she was jailed for 4 1/2 years for having sex with a 10-year-old boy.

Faryn Ripine Matthews, aged 35, was also given a minimum two-year non-parole period for having an eight-month sexual relationship with her former pupil in Tauranga last year.

"As someone trained to understand the level of development and needs of young people, you committed what was a gross breach of a position of trust," said Justice David Baragwanath.

Matthews had previously pleaded guilty to three representative charges of sexually violating the boy while he was her neighbour in Tauranga.

They had formed a close friendship some years earlier and Matthews taught him briefly in 2001 before the abuse began.

At the High Court in Rotorua yesterday, defence lawyer Fergus Steedman said Matthews wished she could turn back the clock, and acknowledged she had overstepped legal and moral boundaries.

"You let your kids stay kids as long as you can. She knows she's broken those rules and she has to pay a price."

Matthews, the second-eldest of nine children, had been raised in a religious family with strict moral values.

She felt ashamed, guilty and depressed about her numerous sexual encounters with the boy but was worried about what would happen to him if she cut him out of her life, Mr Steedman said.

Matthews was lonely at the time and neither she nor the boy had many close friends.

Both suffered from low self-esteem and had family problems.

But Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne said the situation "hardly sets her aside from many busy, overworked, lonely people in society, let alone busy, overworked, lonely teachers".

Matthews' offending had been pre-meditated and she admitted in a pre-sentence report that she wanted to be close to the youngster.

"The expectation of something sexual was there," she told the report's author.

Matthews also stated that she knew she would eventually be caught and "that would be it for my family, religion and career".

Justice Baragwanath said the boy, now 12, was likely to suffer severe emotional damage in the long-term as he grew to appreciate the enormity of what had happened.

Outside the court, the boy's father said he had forgiven Matthews and the family were looking forward to putting it all behind them.

"It's been a lot of hurt and anger for us - a real betrayal of trust."

The family now hoped Matthews would receive the help she needed in prison.