Teacher jailed over sexual relationship with pupil

The court heard Nicola Park "displayed manipulative behaviour" towards the girl when she tried to end their relationship

A private school teacher who had a sexual relationship with a pupil has been jailed for 27 months.

Nicola Park, 42, was struggling with her marriage when she got close to the 15-year-old girl.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard she described the teenager as "my angel" and allowed her to stay at her home between December 2016 and April 2019.

Sheriff John McCormick told Park her crime amounted to "an abuse of trust".

Police were alerted to the relationship after the teenager revealed what had happened with Park to her doctor in 2020.

At the time she wanted to end contact as she had moved to university.

When officers searched Park's home in October 2020 they made a number of discoveries linking the pair, including photos of a sexual nature.

'Not a momentary lapse'

Park admitted engaging in a sexual relationship with the pupil while in a position of trust over a period of more than two years.

Sentencing, Sheriff McCormick said: "This was not a momentary lapse in an otherwise unblemished career in teaching.

"This was abuse of trust of a teacher in her late 30s with an adolescent young female that included kissing, touching and engaging in sexual acts.

"Such is the gravity of the offence, the time it occurred and the professional role as a teacher at the school, in my opinion there is no alternative to a custodial sentence."

Park, from Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, was put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Her details were also passed to the authorities stating that she is "unsuitable to work with children."

'Auntie Nic'

The teacher was assistant housemistress at the school while also teaching maths and social education.

In December 2016 the court heard the girl became upset and spoke to Park after complaining of feeling "alone".

Prosecutor Jennifer McKee told the court: "She said Park would not understand how she felt. She replied that she did understand having recently separated from her husband.

"Park offered the girl support which helped her cope with how she was feeling."

The teacher said the teenager could contact her outside school hours.

Regular emails were then exchanged, including correspondences on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Park went on to call herself "Auntie Nic" and would sign off with a number of kisses.

'Manipulative behaviour'

The court heard how the pair met in January 2017 in Glasgow's west end but it was "understood by both this would not be discussed with anyone else".

Miss McKee added: "Park mentioned that they 'probably should not be meeting up'.

"The girl felt special knowing that Park was prepared to break the rules for her by meeting her."

The pair met up on Sundays and Park later contacted the teenager before she went on holiday.

The message included the line: "You are my angel. I love you to bits."

Park was later involved in sex acts with the girl and the teenager often went to Park's then home in Glasgow's Hyndland.

The girl - now 18 - eventually moved to start university and believed the "relationship had ended".

But the court heard Park struggled with the "breakdown" and "displayed manipulative behaviour" towards the girl.

This lead to the teenager suffering from stress, losing more than a stone in weight and ending up in hospital.

'Reputation ruined'

In September 2020, she went to her GP and revealed what had been happening with Park.

The girl went on to block contact with the teacher before contacting the NSPCC.

Park later said there had been contact with the girl outside school, but denied anything "inappropriate".

On being charged, she insisted: "Completely untrue. There was no sexual activity."

Park's lawyer told the court she would never work as a teacher again.

Iain Paterson, defending, added: "She dedicated her life to teaching and in this particular incident, she fell off and got herself involved in a situation she now bitterly regrets.

"He name has been plastered across newspapers and her reputation has been ruined, her profession has been lost and her friend groups have been lost.

"She is completely aware what she did was completely wrong and is extremely understanding to the cause of upset to the victim, her family, the wider community and the school."