After convincing the judge to let her out on bail, the defendant allegedly contacted the teen multiple times to try and
convince him to change his story before she was subsequently arrested again.
In a surprise reversal, a high school teacher and new mother in New South Wales, Australia has pleaded guilty to four
charges related to allegedly sexually abusing a 15-year-old student. She had initially pleaded not guilty in May.
Karly Rae, 37, changed her plea from innocent on Thursday, bringing her 8-week-old baby with her to Newcastle District
Court, per the Australian Broadcast Company (ABC) and The New York Post, forgoing her trial that had been set for August
2026. She will now be sentenced on March 25.
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In court, Rae pleaded guilty to having sex with the underage boy in October 2024 at various locations in Newcastle, New
South Wales, where she worked, per the news outlets.
This was the same month she was initially arrested. Additionally, she pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material,
grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity, and committing an act with the intention of perverting the course of
That final charge allegedly came after she had previously pleaded for bail in January of this year, which was granted,
and then allegedly reached out to the same boy multiple times, asking him to lie in court on her behalf.
According to a report by 7 News, Rae was arrested a second time and returned to jail after she allegedly contacted the
boy five times in just over two-and-a-half hours in an effort to get him to change his story.
"In the course of those calls, it’s alleged she sought to persuade the complainant to give a false version of events,"
said Justice Hament Dhanji at a subsequent NSW Supreme Court bail hearing for Rae in June 2025.
The teen did not agree to change his story, it turned out, and instead told his mother what happened. Rae was then
slapped with the additional charges of trying to pervert the course of justice and breaching an apprehended violence
order imposed to protect the boy.
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Despite this, Rae was granted bail again in June, with Justice Dhanji noting, per 7 News, that while there was risk of
her interfering with witnesses, the fact she is no longer a teacher makes it improbable she would reoffend.
It was also noted that her failure to convince the boy to change his story resulted in additional time behind bars after
her previous bail was revoked, which Dhanji believed should give her pause in trying again. "That will have brought home
to her the folly in making any further attempt," he said.
Finally, 7 News cited personal matters that impacted the decision to allow Rae out on bail that second time in June.
Those matters were later revealed to be the fact that she was pregnant. Rae ultimately gave birth in October. The father
of her child has not been revealed.
As part of her guilty plea deal last week, some online messages allegedly exchanged on platforms like Snapchat and
Instagram between Rae and the student were entered into court on Thursday.
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In one, Rae wrote, "Hey, sorry for removing you on Snap. I found it too tempting for now." When the teen responded a few
messages later with, "Should we remove each other now?" she replied, "It's my fault. I take full responsibility. Do what
One final meeting was also proposed in another message shared in court, per ABC: "Maybe we could have one last
rendezvous before school goes back. I'll bring my toy."
Also presented in court as part of the "agreed facts" was the fact that the boy's cousin saw some of the messages he'd
exchanged with Rae on Instagram and told his parents, who initially reported the whole thing to the police.
When arrested, police said Rae told them she was unaware of the boy's age, insisting, "I thought he was of age ... and
leaving school." The boy was a student at the high school where Rae worked, per the Post.
If you believe you or someone else is the victim of child sexual exploitation, the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children offers 24/7 support for those in need at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678), or at report.cybertip.org. You
can also contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.