Newington teacher faces multiple child abuse charges after alleged reef-trip assault
A Newington College teacher, Deandra Kontou, has been charged with nine child-abuse offences, including aggravated sexual assault, stemming from incidents on campus and during a Great Barrier Reef camp.
Deandra Kontou, a 32-year-old teacher who used her maiden name Haralambidis while employed at Newington College, has been charged with nine child-abuse offences, including aggravated sexual assault and grooming via electronic devices. Allegations detail a six-month abuse pattern that began with showing the boy indecent material, followed by coercive sexual acts on school grounds in Stanmore and later at a Fitzroy Island camp on the Great Barrier Reef.
Kontou was taken into custody last Monday, appeared in Sutherland Local Court, and was granted bail with requirements to report daily, surrender her passport and avoid contact with the victim. The NSW Education Standards Authority revoked her accreditation, and the Education Department suspended her salary pending a review ordered by Deputy Premier Prue Car into her 2024 hiring at Georges River College. The school’s principal has urged students to seek counselling, while support hotlines have been publicised for affected families.
