An 8th-grade Ontario teacher admitted to child sex crimes at a Peterborough court on Thursday morning.
St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School teacher Kelly-Anne Jennings was arraigned on six charges from incidents that occurred in 2023.
The charges included child luring, creating child pornography and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor. The victims were Jennings’ teenage students.
The 41-year-old was first charged with one count each of sexual interference and sexual assault on Aug. 21 last year after a male student told his mother about inappropriate physical contact with Jennings during a class trip.
An additional three complainants came forward, leading to further charges, according to Port Hope Police. These included distributing sexually explicit material to a person under 16 years of age, luring a person under 16 years of age by means of telecommunication, invitation to sexual touching under 16 years of age, and other child pornography charges.
Jennings was released with strict conditions and a surety on Sept. 5 last year. One of the conditions was not to attend a public park or public swimming area where persons under the age of 16 years are present or a daycare centre, school ground, or community centre.
Following an investigation from Port Hope Police, they determined that Jennings had failed to comply with her release order and was held in custody on Oct. 25, pending a bail hearing.
The Crown has recommended a four-year prison sentence. Jennings’s defence attorney requests that she get no jail time but a conditional sentence of two years less a day, followed by probation.
On Nov. 27, Jennings is expected back in court.
