It's the question all Australia is asking: What happens now to the newborn baby fathered by 13-year-old boy who was raped by his married music teacher - as she faces up to 20 YEARS in jail?
- Baby’s care uncertain as mother faces jail
- Child’s father is just 13 years old
- Abuse victim’s family may get custody
- Do you know more? Email us now on tips@dailymail.com.au
The future of the newborn baby fathered by a 13-year-old boy remains in doubt after the child's married music teacher mother admitted repeatedly raping the teen before falling pregnant.
Naomi Tekea Craig, 33, was a mother of one working at an Anglican school in Mandurah, south of Perth, when she sexually abused the student over 14 months.
The abuse began when he was just 12 but only ended last December, when she was arrested and charged with child abuse offences.
She gave birth to his child on January 8, and pleaded guilty to 15 offences in Mandurah Magistrates Court last Tuesday.
Craig will be sentenced in the District Court at a later date and faces a long stint in jail, with a maximum 20-year prison sentence for child sex offences in Western Australia.
If Craig is jailed, the state has limited and tightly-controlled provisions allowing mothers to care for babies behind bars.
Bandyup Women's Prison, a medium-security facility in Perth's south-east, has a dedicated mother and baby unit where infants can live with their mother in custody until they are 12 months old.
Naomi Tekea Craig, 33, was a married mother when she began abusing a student.
Craig will be sentenced in the District Court at a later date
Bandyup Women's Prison has a dedicated mother and baby unit
However, approval is not automatic and Corrective Services assesses each case individually, weighing up the nature of the offence and whether the arrangement is in the child's best interests.
If approved, Craig would be housed in a purpose-built unit separate from the general prison population, where she would care for the baby under close supervision with support from prison staff.
Women who meet strict eligibility criteria are often later transferred to Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women, a low-security facility located a short drive from Perth's CBD.
'It's like a retirement village and is as good as prison gets,' one former inmate revealed.
'If you go there with a baby, you're placed in one of the mum and bub houses and have your own room. The staff are incredible and there's a lot of support.
'There is a bus that picks up the kids daily to take them to childcare and you can do courses and upskill while you are in there.'
But women convicted of offences against children are generally deemed ineligible for WA's mother and baby prison programs, with child safety concerns typically outweighing the benefits of keeping mother and child together in custody.
If the baby is not permitted to remain with Craig behind bars, alternative care arrangements would be required.
Craig gave birth to his child on January 8, and pleaded guilty to 15 offences in Mandurah Magistrates Court last Tuesday
Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women is a low-security facility located a short drive from Perth's CBD
Women convicted of offences against children are generally deemed ineligible for mother and baby prisons
In many cases, children are placed with the other parent, but as the father is himself a minor, authorities would need to involve his parents.
While the boy may have some legal standing to seek parenting orders in the future, any arrangement would rely heavily on adult support, with courts prioritising the baby's welfare above all else.
Judges are also acutely aware of the risk of re-traumatising a child victim, and are typically reluctant to place caregiving responsibilities on a teenager who has already been subjected to abuse.
One of the most likely outcomes is that Craig's parents could be asked to assume temporary care of their grandchild while their daughter serves any custodial sentence.
If no suitable family placement can be found, the Department of Child Protection would step in, placing the baby in temporary foster care until Craig's release.
There is also the possibility Craig may avoid jail altogether.
Courts can consider the impact of imprisonment on dependent children when determining a sentence, and in some cases this has resulted in suspended sentences or community-based orders rather than time behind bars.
Craig is represented by top Perth lawyer, Reid Hogan, and will be required to attend court in person in March.
To make bail, she was required to front $20,000 personally, with an additional $50,000 surety. Her bail will continue until the next mention.
Craig faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence for child sex offences in Western Australia
To make bail, she was required to front $20,000 personally, with an additional $50,000 surety
After court on Tuesday, Craig's husband broke cover and dropped their older son off at her parents' place.
Craig is banned from seeing anyone under 18, including her oldest child, without supervision, with the only exception to the strict court order being her newborn.
Daily Mail previously revealed that days before the sexual abuse began, Craig encouraged her victim to form a close bond with her son.
Disturbing video footage seen by the Daily Mail, showed the schoolboy, then 12, sitting at a small toddler table beside Craig's pre-school age child as they coloured in together.
The pair appeared relaxed and familiar, happily swapping crayons in what appears to be a doctor's waiting room, with the boy calling his teacher's son 'little bro'.
