WARNING: This story includes graphic descriptions of sexual misconduct involving minors.
A former Grade 8 teacher in Ontario, who admitted to sex crimes after convincing students to share explicit selfies with her, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Kelly-Anne Jennings, 41, appeared in a Kawartha Lakes, Ont., courtroom on Thursday as the judge announced her sentence.
“The impact of having a child perform sexual acts on camera for the gratification of an adult is severe,” Ontario Court Justice Nathan N. Baker stated.
Jennings pleaded guilty earlier this month to six charges related to three boys, including child luring, invitation to sexual touching, and creating child sexual abuse material – previously known as child pornography under the Criminal Code.
Additional charges such as sexual assault and sexual interference involving a fourth complainant were dropped at the request of the Crown.
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Police are seen outside the Peterborough, Ont., home listed as Kelly-Anne Jennings’s address on Sept. 4, 2024, in a video shared with . (Name withheld)
After Baker delivered his decision, two officers took Jennings into custody and escorted her out of the courtroom. Her name will be added to the national sex offender registry, and she was ordered to submit a DNA sample.
The mother of one victim recently told the court “people don’t want to believe women can do this.”
“But this wasn’t a mistake,” she wrote in a victim impact statement. “This was abuse. It was calculated. It was predatory. It was criminal.”
When allegations against Jennings first emerged last year, she was put on unpaid leave from her position in Port Hope, Ont., about 100 kilometers east of Toronto.
The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board stated it had officially “terminated Ms. Jennings’ employment” earlier this month.
“I want to acknowledge the profound and ongoing impact this case has had on our school communities,” said Stephen O’Sullivan, director of education for the board, in an emailed statement to . “My hope is that today’s outcome provides some measure of closure for those affected.”
A publication ban protects the names of the three teenage victims. The court order also prevents sharing any other information that could identify them or reveal which publicly funded school Jennings worked at.
An agreed statement of facts submitted in court revealed that Jennings began sending suggestive pictures and videos via Snapchat during summer 2023 when the boys were between 14 and 15 years old.
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Former Grade 8 teacher Kelly-Anne Jennings is seen in a 2016-2017 school yearbook photo. (Name withheld)
The images became increasingly graphic; Jennings sent one picture of herself in a bathtub before progressing to fully nude images and eventually a video showing herself masturbating.
She pressured her victims into sending nude photos back, telling one boy “just do it.” Two victims complied with her requests.
Jennings attributed her actions to heavy drinking – telling at least one boy she felt “tipsy” – after experiencing marital issues involving her husband.
“I appreciate infidelity in her relationship was causing her to drink,” remarked the judge. “But in no way can this rationalize her actions.”
Jennings faced initial charges in August 2024 after police reported that a male student informed his mother about inappropriate physical contact during a class trip. Port Hope police later indicated that three additional complainants had come forward leading to more charges being filed against her.
Dr. Krystal L. Kelly, a clinical and forensic psychologist who evaluated Jennings found that she posed “a low-moderate risk of sexual offending in the future.” Kelly suggested therapy could reduce this risk if pursued further by Jennings.
In another victim impact statement from one victim’s mother wrote that her son now “does not want to be in school, and we struggle to keep his attention on his studies. This breaks my heart as that predator sitting in courtroom stole that trust away.”
“The emotional scars from this abuse,” she said, “will follow my son for life.”>
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