Teacher Accused of Grooming and Assaulting Student at Elite Australian School

A teacher at an elite private school in Sydney, Australia, has been charged with nine child abuse offenses, including allegations of grooming and sexually assaulting a student under the age of 16. Deandra Kontou, a former geography teacher at Newington College, is accused of offenses that spanned six months in 2017.

Kontou, 32, allegedly showed the student indecent material, sent him inappropriate messages, and coerced him into sexual acts. These incidents reportedly occurred within the school's Stanmore building during school hours. The accusations also include touching the student twice and sexually assaulting him during a school trip to Fitzroy Island, approximately 1,200 miles from Sydney.

Kontou taught at Newington College, an institution with annual fees exceeding $33,000, until 2019, when the allegations were reported to the school administration. She resigned that year. Following her resignation, Kontou was later employed at Georges River College, a public high school, in 2024.

She was arrested and subsequently granted bail last month by the Sutherland Local Court. Conditions of her bail include surrendering her passport and reporting to the police daily. She is also prohibited from teaching children. The New South Wales Department of Education has revoked Kontou's teaching accreditation. Her case is scheduled for a hearing at Burwood Local Court next month.

This case follows another incident at Newington College earlier this year, where another teacher, Benjamin David Collinge, was charged with grooming a 14-year-old girl online.

Newington College, a K-12 institution for boys and girls with campuses in Stanmore and Sydney, stated that it does not condone any behavior that violates its professional standards or the law.