A married teacher in Australia was sentenced Wednesday to just over a year in jail for having sexual relations with two teenage students, which she attempted to attribute to “irresistible” impulses driven by bipolar disorder. Tayla Lee Brailey, 32, cried as she hugged her parents and several supporters at her sentencing in Sydney on Wednesday, having lost her job and her husband after admitting her twisted crimes, Australian outlet ABC reported. Brailey was first arrested in August 2024 for having sex with a 17-year-old boy in her car, returning to her classes after the sordid encounter. Teacher Tayla Brailey has been sentenced for sexual offenses with two male students. She was released on bail, but a few weeks later she was arrested again when it emerged that she had also touched the genitals of a 16-year-old student in her classroom, an experience that, he said in a victim statement, still overwhelms him with shame. Brailey had groomed that younger victim online, according to the Canberra Times, by sending her a naked photo of herself in the shower and asking her: “Do you like what you see?” Then he made him send him a nude in return. “Mmm,” he responded to the 16-year-old student. “Stay with me after school,” he wrote, as they kissed and touched each other’s genitals in their classroom. “He has been embarrassed and had to leave high school before finishing … because of the shame he felt,” Judge Elizabeth Ryan said during Bailey’s sentencing. “He had suffered from lack of sleep and flashbacks…he said none of his high school friends talk to him anymore.” The judge was told that Brailey was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which caused her to have impaired judgment and increased sexual desire, leaving her with an “irresistible urge” to have sex with boys, as The Australian also reported. Brailey’s family said she had lost her marriage, as well as her job and reputation. Facebook However, the judge said that while Brailey’s crimes may have been “terrible mistakes,” she “used her position as a teacher… to abuse the trust of two young men.” “It is also relevant that she knew what she was doing was wrong but persisted in it,” Judge Ryan said. “Crimes like this cause immense damage to the trust that should exist between families and the education system,” the judge said. Brailey, 32, from Sydney, had sex with one student in his car and fondled another in a classroom. Facebook “For these reasons… no penalty other than imprisonment is appropriate.” Brailey was sentenced to nine months in prison for having sexual relations with the 17-year-old student and one year for sexually touching the 16-year-old, with a total sentence of 15 months in prison. She will also be registered on the child protection register for 15 years. The teacher, who has since trained as an accountant, will be eligible for parole in April 2027.
