29 January 2024 , 15:48
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A former teacher has avoided imprisonment after admitting to sexual relations with a female student.
Christine Knudsen engaged in a sexual relationship with the 17-year-old girl, who was part of the drama club which she oversaw, for several months during 2017 and 2018. The former graphic arts teacher of Fair Lawn high School will be required to register as a sex offender, is forbidden to have any contact with the victim, and will be on parole for the rest of her life.
Prosecutors asked that the second-degree crime be sentenced as third-degree in return for the guilty plea, and with the suspended sentence Knudsen will only face jail time if she violates her parole - she will face three years behind bars if in violation of her parole. Knudsen was also forced to hand in her Garden state teaching certificate.
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Knudsen supervised the 17-year-old girl in a drama group while she was at school (The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)Six months after pleading guilty to the relationship, Knudsen was told by state Superior Court Judge Nina Remson: “You are hereby sentenced to three years in New Jersey State Prison to be suspended. You are also sentenced to comply with registration requirements of Megan's Law and parole supervision for life.”
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“I'm going to give you a document that indicates where you'll be reporting to parole,” Remson added, according to MailOnline. “I'm also going to execute the Nicole's Law restraining order, and you'll be given a copy of that in just a moment as well.”
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Knudsen was reportedly sniffling as the Remson read out her judgement, condemning her relationship with the victim who is now at least 22 years old. “You are to have no contact with the victim, whose initials are NK - of course you know who that is. You're barred from her residence, school, place of employment, [and] you're prohibited from having any oral, written, personal, telephonic, electronic or any other form of contact with her,” said the judge.
Nina Remson banned Knudsen from making any form of contact with the victim again in the lenient sentencing (Supplied)“And you're prohibited from making or causing anyone to make any harassing communications with the victim, from stalking, from threatening the victim. Do you understand that?” Remson questioned, which Knudsen acknowledged. “You've already surrendered your teaching certificate, which is ordered as part of this sentence,” Remson added, before the hearing was called to a close.
Knudsen was also found to have taken controlled substances with the student, accused of “providing and ingesting” the substances - although it is unconfirmed which drugs were taken. She was ordered to go under an assessment of whether she needs treatment for substance abuse.
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“I'm also going to have you have a task evaluation, which is to assess whether you need any treatment for substance abuse, given what I've seen in the sentence report,” Remson said. “I don't know if that's an issue presently, but it was referred to in the report that there was some past conduct that was troubling in that regard. So, if there's any treatment recommended, you are to comply with that treatment.”
Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Bollenbach said: “These allegations are disturbing. The defendant not only engaged in criminal sexual activity with a student, she also violated the public trust through this behaviour.”