PROSECUTORS have finalised the charges against a Hunter high school teacher accused of repeatedly having sex with a 17-year-old student under her care.
Zoe Jade Hodges, 28, of Islington, is represented by criminal defence lawyer Drew Hamilton and was excused from appearing in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday as the DPP revealed she will face five counts of sexual intercourse with a young person under special care aged between 17 and 18.
Ms Hodges is accused of repeatedly having sexual intercourse with the 17-year-old boy over a period of months.
The charges state that the boy was under her "special care" at the time of the alleged offences because Ms Hodges was his teacher at a Hunter area high school.
Ms Hodges has not entered any pleas and the matter was adjourned until July for the prosecution and defence to hold a case conference and begin determining how the matter will be committed to the NSW District Court.
The 28-year-old was arrested by Newcastle Child Abuse Squad detectives on December 7 last year and charged with five offences.
She was granted strict conditional bail the next day, but Mr Hamilton has been successful in loosening some of those bail conditions.
Ms Hodges was again excused from attending court when the matter returns in July.
