A Year 10 student had denied having sex with her teacher because she was worried he would be sacked, an ACT court has been told.
Derek Siddon, 31, a former music teacher at Canberra's Catholic Daramalan College, is charged with three counts of having sexual intercourse and five counts of attempting to have sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years of age.
The incidents with the student allegedly occurred in 2005 when she was 15.
During a committal hearing on Friday, his former student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she did not tell senior staff at the college about the relationship at the time because she wanted to protect Siddon.
She was questioned in late 2005 about rumours she'd had a relationship with her teacher, but denied anything inappropriate had occurred.
"Mr Siddon was the one who told me he loved me," the woman, now 18, told the ACT Magistrates Court via video link.
"I was afraid of being expelled, I didn't think anyone would believe me anyway and he would have been fired ... and I would have been responsible."
The former student said she was also worried her parents would find out about the relationship.
The court has heard Siddon had sex with his student at his friend's house and at the college.
They also kissed and "simulated sex" on numerous occasions in Siddon's office.
But on Friday, the 18-year-old said she had since realised Siddon had "manipulated" her.
"He was so calculating in getting me to trust him," she said.
"Getting me to say yes to these things."
However, defence lawyer Ken Archer said the ex-student's school attendance record did not show her being absent on one of the days Siddon allegedly took her to his friend's house for sex.
There were other "discrepancies" between what she told police and her evidence at the committal hearing this week, he said.
The former student admitted she had trouble discerning exactly when specific events occurred.
"I have had floods of memories continuously coming back," she said.
The committal hearing before Magistrate Shane Madden continues.
