A female teacher who worked at a prestigious Sydney private school has been charged with grooming and raping a male student.
Deandra Kontou, 32, who taught at $48,000/year all-boys school Newington College in 2018 and 2019, was arrested in Sutherland last week after police recommenced an investigation into her in 2025.
She was charged with nine offences, including aggravated sexual assault of a victim under authority of the offender, aggravated sexually touching, and using a carriage service to groom a person under 16 years old for sex, Nine.com.au reported. Aggravated sexual assault is an offence equivalent to rape under NSW law.
Kontou was then granted bail after facing Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday, with conditions requiring her to surrender her passport, not go within 500 metres of international points of departure, and report to police daily.
She is also banned from entering the ground of any school, must not engage in teaching activities that require contact with children, and must not be in the company of children without a parent, guardian or responsible adult present.
Kontou was newly married when she took up a position at the school, the Daily Mail reported, and in 2018 was praised by her personal trainer for losing weight ahead of her wedding.
“Being a busy school teacher with growing life responsibilities, Deandra is to be commended on her consistent attendance to personal training and sessions on her own,” the trainer wrote in one post.
In another post he commended her for sticking to her gym routine while having “a busy work life as a school teacher and after-hours tutor”.
In May a male music teacher who was employed part-time at Newington College was terminated after being charged with grooming a 14-year-old girl online. Police said at the time that no students from the school were linked to the allegations.
Newington College said it was unable to comment on the allegations against Kontou as the matter is still before the courts.
Kontou will face Burwood Local Court on November 26.
Header image: Left, right Deandra Kontou at a pre-wedding celebration and at her gym (Facebook).
