But would it be the same if an ugly 26-year-old male teacher fell in love with a 15-year-old school boy?

When the 26-year-old “Jazz Lady”, Helen Goddard, was told she would serve half of a 15-month sentence before being considered for release, she broke down in tears. Even the judge presiding over the case was sympathetic. In response to the request for a sexual prevention order banning Goddard from seeing the girl for five years, The Times reported the judge as saying: “I am conscious of the fact that whatever one thinks about what happened in this case, the girl appears to inevitably have suffered from what happened and this matter coming to light, and I have her interest in mind as well when I decided not to make this order. I think it would be draconian and unnecessarily cruel to her as well.”

In strict legal terms the widespread sympathy is perhaps a little misplaced. Goddard, a teacher, started a five-month relationship a 15-year-old child who she took on a secret romantic break to Paris (where they went on a Gay Pride march) and even had sex with her at the homes of both the girl’s separated parents. Police reportedly also found various sexual toys including vibrators and fluffy handcuffs in the teacher’s London flat and mobile phones seized showed that they had exchanged hundreds of obscene text messages.

Bearing in mind the sentencing guidelines for the Sex Offender’s Act of 2003 state that the sentencing range for such offences -"Sexual Activity with a child" – is 3 to 7 years (with a maximum of 14 years) and, in addition, she would clearly have committed – "abuse of a position of trust" even if the girl was over 16 – Goddard got off pretty lightly. A similar case in the States recently saw a teacher initially receive a 10 year jail sentence!

Music teacher Helen Goddard jailed for lesbian affair with pupil [The Times]
A story of crime (?) and punishment (!) [Law is Cool]