Teacher jailed for sex offences with 13-yr-old

A school teacher convicted of sex offences against a teenager was jailed yesterday when he appeared for sentence in Hamilton District Court.

Judge Melanie Harland sentenced him to three-and-a-half years' jail.

Jeremy Mark Cavanagh, 30, had earlier been found guilty of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and one count of doing an indecent act on a person under the age of 16.

His lawyer, Warren Scotter, said the sentence would be appealed, the Waikato Times reported.

The court was told Cavanagh's offending occurred at his Hamilton apartment on September 16, 2007, after he invited two 13-year-old girls there.

The girls had arranged to meet him at a bus stop.

Cavanagh, who introduced himself as "Danny", drove the girls to his apartment where he tried to remove one girl's trousers and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Mr Scotter said Cavanagh had made a horrendous mistake by not asking the girls' ages. Cavanagh had admitted inviting them back to his apartment and said he thought they were about 18 or 19.

Crown prosecutor Thomas Sutcliffe said Cavanagh was a trained professional who would have been aware of the ages.

The name of Cavanagh's former school was suppressed.

- NZPA