A Mandurah music teacher who gave birth to her underage student’s baby has been photographed publicly for the first time since details of her crimes emerged, on the same day a sentencing date was confirmed and several other charges were dismissed.
Naomi Tekea Craig, 34, was pictured leaving Mandurah Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon, her face partially obscured by a tan hat pulled low and large dark sunglasses. Her long hair, now dyed black, was worn loose. Dressed in dark activewear, she hurried past waiting media, declining to answer questions about whether she had anything to say to the victim’s family or the school community.
Craig, a former Frederick Irwin Anglican School music teacher, last year gave birth to a child fathered by one of her students, who was 13 at the time. She pleaded guilty in January to 15 child sexual abuse offences spanning periods when the boy was under 13 and between 13 and 16. Despite the gravity of the case, Friday marked the first time she has been required to attend court in person since her arrest; she appeared to re‑sign bail at Mandurah Magistrates Court.
Earlier in the day, at the District Court, it was confirmed Craig will be sentenced in November. Court listings also recorded that a number of other charges were dismissed. Craig’s bail was extended.
The low‑key courthouse appearance stood in stark contrast to previously circulated images of Craig posing in glamorous pregnancy photos taken while she was carrying the victim’s baby. Craig, who was already a mother to another child before her arrest, has had her teaching registration suspended.
The case, which has shocked the Western Australian school community, has been closely monitored since police confirmed DNA testing linked the newborn to the underage victim. Craig’s guilty pleas included multiple counts of sexual penetration of a child under 13, sexual penetration of a child over 13 and under 16, indecent dealing, persistent sexual conduct with a child under 16, and possession of child exploitation material.
Craig is due to return to the District Court for sentencing in November. Her bail conditions remain in force pending that hearing.
