Port Hope teacher accused of sex crimes on students in talks to plead guilty

A Grade 8 teacher accused of multiple sexual offences involving students may plead guilty before the case ever goes to trial, an Ontario court has heard.

Kelly-Anne Jennings, who is on unpaid leave from her job at St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School in Port Hope, Ont., faces 18 sex crime charges, including sexual assault on a boy under 14.

Jennings, 40, is accused of both making child pornography and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor, according to court records. All offences are alleged to have occurred between June 2022 and April 2024 in Port Hope, part of Northumberland County, east of Toronto.

At a brief hearing Wednesday morning in nearby Cobourg, a paralegal representing Jennings' lawyer, Dean Embry, told court the defence team and Crown prosecutors are in talks for the accused to enter a guilty plea. 

It's not clear whether Jennings plans to plead guilty to all — or only some — of the charges, including luring, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching. The accused did not appear in court Wednesday and her lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

Four minors — whose identities are covered by a publication ban — are named in court records as alleged victims. Police said the accused communicated with the complainants over social media platforms including Snapchat. 

Jennings was first charged last August after investigators said a male student told his mother about inappropriate physical contact with a teacher on a class trip. Police later said three more complainants had come forward, which led to further charges.

Stephen O'Sullivan, director of education at the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, previously told CBC that Jennings had been employed at St. Anthony since 2016. After her initial arrest, she was put on administrative leave and prohibited from visiting board properties or interacting with students, O'Sullivan said.

"There has been no change in her status," school board spokesperson Galen Eagle said Wednesday. "She will remain on unpaid leave for the duration of the court process."

A representative for the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg said she was unable to confirm when the case would return to court.