Former Newington teacher charged with rape, grooming student
A former teacher at Sydney’s Newington College has been charged with the rape of a student and four counts of aggravated sexual touching after allegedly using an electronic device to groom her young victim before carrying out the attack.
Deandra Kontou, 32, was last week charged with nine sex offences, after an investigation by the Inner West Police Area Command into allegations the teacher sexually assaulted and groomed a student in her care. Kontou worked at Newington College for two years, leaving the prestigious school in 2019.
Kontou’s charges include inciting a person to partake in an aggravated sexual act, four counts of sexually touching another person, and inciting another person to sexually touch them, and have sex with them. They also include aggravated sexual assault, which under NSW law is an offence equivalent to rape. Police believe the alleged victim was under 16 at the time of the attack.
A Newington College spokesperson confirmed Kontou’s former employment when contacted by the Herald.
“Newington College does not tolerate conduct by individual teachers that is in conflict with our professional standards or the law,” the spokesperson said. “As this matter is before the courts, we are not able to provide any further comment at this time.”
Kontou appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday, where she was granted conditional bail to return to her home in Sydney’s southern suburbs. She is banned from entering any school or undertaking teaching jobs that require contact with children, contacting the alleged victim and any prosecuting witnesses, or being in the company of a child without another adult present.
Kontou is required to report to Sutherland Police Station weekly, surrender her passport and not enter an international point of departure from Australia. She will next appear at Burwood Local Court on November 25.
There are about 2000 students across Newington College’s Stanmore and Lindfield campuses. The school, founded in 1863, started accepting girls into its classrooms this year following a highly contentious decision that led to courtroom showdowns and a broader culture war over the merits of all-boy schools and toxic masculinity.
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