EXCLUSIVE
A female teacher who sexually abused a 14-year-old male student while she was teaching at an all-boys school has walked free from jail after spending just over two years behind bars.
Monica Elizabeth Young, 26, who taught geography at a school in southwest Sydney, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in July 2021, after cheating on her fiancé with a teenage pupil.
On Tuesday she was released on parole from Dillwynia Women’s Correctional Centre after serving just over half her sentence, for a crime the victim told court ‘ruined his life’.
Young looked unrecognisable with long black hair as she walked out of the facility just before 10.30am alongside her father, who clutched a box containing her belongings.
She was wearing a hoodie, bike shorts and ankle monitor as she held a clear bag filled with documents. She paused to give her father a brief hug before they drove away.
Convicted child sex offender Monica Young was released from Dillwynia Correctional Centre on Tuesday
Young is required to wear an electronic monitoring device around her ankle as part of her parole conditions
Young’s release comes after she was considered for parole at a meeting with NSW State Parole Authority (SPA) on August 25.
An SPA spokesperson told the department considered and accepted the expert advice of Community Corrections, which recommended parole.
‘Having considered all the available material, the authority determined a parole order was in the interests of the safety of the community,’ the spokesperson said.
Young’s parole requires her to comply with stringent conditions.
‘As a serious sex offender under the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006, Young is subject to Mandatory Electronic Monitoring while on parole,’ the statement said.
Aside from standard parole conditions, such as being of good behaviour and regularly reporting to authorities, Young must participate in psychology sessions and comply with the requirements of the Child Protection Register.
Her father could be seen clutching a box filled with her belongings as they walked to their parked car
Young could be seen carrying a clear plastic bag containing documents
She must also not communicate with or be in the company of anyone under 16 unless approved by authorities and cannot contact, communicate with, watch, stalk, harass or intimidate the victim or his family.
Young, who was then engaged, groomed the 14-year-old boy on social media before sexually assaulting him three times between June 24 and July 6 2020.
She had only started working at the school – her first teaching gig after university – three months earlier.
Young reached out to the boy on Instagram before sending him lewd pictures over Snapchat.
The relationship escalated over the following weeks as she bombarded him with messages begging him for sex and daring him to perform sex acts with her, including some of which were carried out on school grounds.
Young was convicted in July 2021 of sexually abusing a male student, 14, she taught while teaching at a school in Sydney’s south west
She was arrested in July 2020 after they boy’s aunt and cousin spotted her sneaking the boy into her car and alerted authorities.
At the time of her offending, Young was just weeks away from marrying her childhood sweetheart Moey Krayem.
Mr Krayem initially vowed to stand by her side, but the couple separated in early 2021, shortly before she pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a minor.
In a disturbing twist, Krayem himself was later arrested, charged and convicted of the rape of another woman – a 19-year-old woman in Chullora in 2020 – and was jailed for 17 months.
In a powerful victim impact statement, Young’s victim revealed the abuse ‘ruined his life’ as his relationship with family and friends deteriorated and resulted in him dropping out of school.
The boy said he ‘feels like a failure who let his entire family down’ and his parents constantly bicker and blame each other for not noticing the abuse sooner.
He said his brother ‘hates him for embarrassing him in front of his friends at school’, and, despite once having aspirations of becoming a physiotherapist, he dropped out to go to TAFE once his peers becoming aware of what had happened.
Young is pictured with her ex-fiance, Moey Krayem
At her sentencing hearing, judge Kate Traill described Young’s offending as a ‘violation of trust’.
‘[You] exploited his vulnerability and manipulated him,’ Judge Traill said.
‘He says the offender has ruined his dreams… ruined his school and his relationship with his family and friends and trust in others and ruined his life.’
However, Judge Traill said she could not look over Young’s good character, with 10 people submitting character references in her defence.
The judge also noted Young, who revealed she too had been sexually assaulted when she was in Year 7, had shown remorse to her victim in court.
‘I just never imagined I’d be one of those people… I’ve never been in trouble with the law. I hope he and his family can forgive me,’ Young said.
‘I was foolish.’