A former teacher from Sydney’s prestigious Newington College has been charged with raping and touching a student after allegedly using an electronic device to groom her alleged victim.
Deandra Kontou, 32, was arrested last week following allegations she’d sexually assaulted and groomed a student in her care, with detectives believing the child was under 16 at the time of the attack.
Kontou, who worked at the all-boys private school for two years before leaving in 2019, was charged with nine sex offences following a lengthy investigation.
The charges include aggravated sexual assault of a victim under her authority, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity, as well as aggravated charges relating to inciting sexual acts, sexual touching and using a carriage service to groom a child for sex.
Last week, Kontou was granted conditional bail to return to her home in Sydney’s south, with property records indicating she lives at a $1.8million house.
She will next face Burwood Local Court on November 25.
As part of her strict bail conditions, she must report to Sutherland Police Station weekly, surrender her passport, and not enter or go within 500 metres of any international point of departure.
She is also banned from entering any school or taking any teaching jobs that require contact with children; having contact with the alleged victim and any prosecuting witnesses; or being in the company of a child without another adult present.
Deandra Kontou, 32, was arrested after allegedly raping and grooming a student in her care. (She is pictured at a pre-wedding celebration in April 2017)
Kontou began work at Sydney’s prestigious Newington College in late 2017
It comes as the Daily Mail can reveal Kontou was newly married when she took up the role at Newington College, where annual fees start from $44,000 for secondary school students.
Just months prior Kontou, who was known by the nickname ‘Miss Dee’ according to a post by her gym, was trying to shed weight before her wedding to husband George, who has since deleted his LinkedIn account.
‘Being a busy school teacher with growing life responsibilities, Deandra is to be commended on her consistent attendance to personal training and sessions on her own,’ her personal trainer shared in a post about her weight loss in February 2018.
‘She has recently started a new four-part program, focusing on weight training to enhance the natural shape of her body… [She is] the princess of weight loss!’
In another post, her trainer commended Kontou for maintaining her gym routine while balancing ‘a busy work life as a school teacher and after-hours tutor’.
When the Daily Mail attempted to reach family members for comment on Tuesday, some denied any relation to Deandra.
A woman who identified herself as the accused’s sister-in-law – the sister of her husband George – said, ‘I would prefer you not to stalk my [Facebook] account. I’ve got no further comment,’ before hanging up.
It’s not the first time the private school has been marred by controversy after it announced plans in 2023 to start accepting girls into its classrooms, prompting some parents and alumni to launch action in the NSW Supreme Court.
She was in the midst of celebrating her upcoming wedding when she joined the all-boys school
Kontou’s personal trainer commended ‘Miss Dee’ on her commitment to the gym amongst ‘a busy work life as a school teacher and after-hours tutor’
Lawyers claimed the school was formed to teach males, pointing to a trust deed from 1873 that described Newington College as ‘an efficient college for youth’.
They argued the term ‘youth’ was limited to the advancement of education of boys and young men.
A judge dismissed the matter in May 2025, ruling the word ‘youth’ in the trust deed was used in a gender-neutral sense.
In March, a music teacher was sacked after he was accused of offering to pay a teenage girl for sexual material.
Benjamin David Collinge, 29, was later arrested and charged with using a carriage service to groom a child under 16 for sex, and using a carriage service to access child abuse material.
Collinge had been providing classroom support in the music department at Newington College on a casual basis.
A Newington spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘As this matter is before the Courts, we are not able to provide any further comment at this time.’
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