Respected biology teacher, 34, at a prestigious $32,000-a-year private school is charged after allegedly repeatedly having sex with a 17-year-old student
- The 34-year-old teacher was arrested at a cafe in Mascot about 10am on July 19
- Several electronic and personal items were seized following search warrant
- He was charged with 11 counts of sexual intercourse with person under care
A male high school teacher has been charged after allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old student multiple times.
Ben Fenner, 34, a biology teacher at the $32,000-a-year Reddam House, in Bondi, was arrested at a cafe in Mascot just before 10am on Friday, July 19.
Police searched his home and seized a number of personal and electrical items.
Fenner has been charged with 11 counts of sexual intercourse with a person under care between 17 years and 18 years old.
The alleged offences took place between April and October 2018, according to the ABC.
Ben Fenner (pictured) was stood down as a teacher at Reddam House, in Bondi, after allegedly having sex with a student
Police will allege that Fenner had sex with the 17-year-old at homes in Randwick and on the Central Coast.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad carried out an investigation following reports of an alleged sexual relationship between the teacher and student.
Fenner was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney’s CBD on Monday.
At the time of his arrest for the alleged offences in July the school notified that a ‘senior school teaching staff’ had been removed from all duties at the school.
‘This step follows notification on Friday by NSW Police that the teacher had been charged in relation to a complaint by a Reddam graduate. It is our understanding the former student approached the police some time recently,’ the statement read.
The school said they were distressed ‘by this turn of events’ and wanted everyone to know they were taking the matter seriously.
Fenner was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday
‘Pending resolution of due legal process, the teacher involved will not play any further role at the school. This is now a matter for the courts. Reddam will not be making further public comment,’ the school’s statement read.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Fenner was removed from his duties before headmaster Dave Pitcairn tried to reassure parents.
‘I would like to thank the school community; parents, teachers and students for the way they have rallied and supported each other and myself during this turbulent week,’ headmaster Dave Pitcairn wrote in the school newsletter.
‘The school psychologists and I remain available to students for whom the events of the week have been unsettling and feel they need further assistance in dealing with them.’
Fenner was removed from his duties at Reddam House, in Bondi, before headmaster Dave Pitcairn moved to reassure parents in a newsletter